1,853,138 Shares in The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) Bought by Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH purchased a new stake in The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 1,853,138 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $310,679,000. Procter & Gamble accounts for about 0.6% of Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH's holdings, making the stock its 21st biggest holding. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH owned about 0.08% of Procter & Gamble at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of PG. NewSquare Capital LLC grew its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 933.3% in the 4th quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 155 shares of the company's stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 140 shares during the period. Navigoe LLC acquired a new stake in Procter & Gamble in the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Capital A Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble in the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Hoey Investments Inc. raised its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 321.7% during the 4th quarter. Hoey Investments Inc. now owns 194 shares of the company's stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 148 shares during the last quarter. Finally, LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA purchased a new stake in shares of Procter & Gamble in the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. 65.77% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Procter & Gamble Trading Up 0.8%

PG stock traded up $1.36 on Friday, hitting $169.92. 12,584,832 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 8,068,777. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 0.76 and a quick ratio of 0.55. The stock has a market capitalization of $398.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.41. The Procter & Gamble Company has a twelve month low of $156.58 and a twelve month high of $180.43. The business's fifty day moving average is $164.21 and its two-hundred day moving average is $167.36.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $1.54 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.53 by $0.01. Procter & Gamble had a return on equity of 33.00% and a net margin of 18.35%. The business had revenue of $19.78 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $20.42 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.52 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts forecast that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Procter & Gamble Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 21st were paid a $1.0568 dividend. This is a positive change from Procter & Gamble's previous quarterly dividend of $1.01. This represents a $4.23 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.49%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, April 21st. Procter & Gamble's payout ratio is currently 66.98%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Moses Victor Javier Aguilar sold 10,520 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $158.67, for a total value of $1,669,208.40. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 25,182 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,995,627.94. This represents a 29.47% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Jennifer L. Davis sold 1,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.38, for a total value of $161,380.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 51,965 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,386,111.70. This represents a 1.89% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada upgraded shares of Procter & Gamble from a "sector perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $164.00 to $177.00 in a research report on Friday, April 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on Procter & Gamble from $181.00 to $172.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Raymond James reduced their target price on Procter & Gamble from $190.00 to $185.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 25th. UBS Group reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $180.00 price objective on Procter & Gamble and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $178.52.

About Procter & Gamble

Procter & Gamble Co engages in the provision of branded consumer packaged goods. It operates through the following segments: Beauty, Grooming, Health Care, Fabric and Home Care, and Baby, Feminine and Family Care. The Beauty segment offers hair, skin, and personal care. The Grooming segment consists of shave care like female and male blades and razors, pre and post shave products, and appliances.