UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC Purchases 267,879 Shares of The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG)

UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its holdings in shares of The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG - Free Report) by 6.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 4,670,228 shares of the business services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 267,879 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC owned approximately 1.25% of Interpublic Group of Companies worth $130,860,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board lifted its holdings in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 139.5% during the fourth quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 13,210,446 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $370,157,000 after purchasing an additional 7,693,636 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 13.0% during the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 12,975,872 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $363,584,000 after purchasing an additional 1,492,019 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies by 4.1% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 12,938,530 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $362,538,000 after acquiring an additional 511,607 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in Interpublic Group of Companies by 14.8% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 10,264,732 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $287,618,000 after acquiring an additional 1,320,345 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Interpublic Group of Companies by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 9,531,530 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $266,614,000 after acquiring an additional 81,996 shares in the last quarter. 98.43% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Interpublic Group of Companies Price Performance

Shares of Interpublic Group of Companies stock traded up $0.48 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $24.48. 6,817,239 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,214,845. The company has a market capitalization of $9.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.38 and a beta of 1.09. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $24.94 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $27.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.09 and a quick ratio of 1.09. The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $22.51 and a 52-week high of $33.05.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The business services provider reported $0.33 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.30 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $2 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.98 billion. Interpublic Group of Companies had a return on equity of 27.10% and a net margin of 6.45%. The business's quarterly revenue was down 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.36 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. will post 2.66 EPS for the current year.

Interpublic Group of Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.33 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 2nd. This represents a $1.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.39%. Interpublic Group of Companies's payout ratio is 100.76%.

Interpublic Group of Companies announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback program on Wednesday, February 12th that permits the company to repurchase $155.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the business services provider to reacquire up to 1.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are typically an indication that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

IPG has been the topic of several analyst reports. Wall Street Zen initiated coverage on Interpublic Group of Companies in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. They issued a "hold" rating on the stock. Barclays lowered their price target on Interpublic Group of Companies from $36.00 to $34.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 25th. Argus lowered Interpublic Group of Companies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Interpublic Group of Companies from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and increased their price target for the stock from $32.00 to $39.00 in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Citigroup reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $35.00 price target on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Interpublic Group of Companies currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $33.44.

Insider Activity

In other Interpublic Group of Companies news, CFO Ellen Tobi Johnson sold 21,427 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.82, for a total value of $574,672.14. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 143,373 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,845,263.86. This trade represents a 13.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.42% of the company's stock.

Interpublic Group of Companies Company Profile

The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc provides advertising and marketing services worldwide. It operates in three segments: Media, Data & Engagement Solutions, Integrated Advertising & Creativity Led Solutions, and Specialized Communications & Experiential Solutions. The Media, Data & Engagement Solutions segment provides media and communications services, digital services and products, advertising and marketing technology, e-commerce services, data management and analytics, strategic consulting, and digital brand experience under the IPG Mediabrands, UM, Initiative, Kinesso, Acxiom, Huge, MRM, and R/GA brand names.