Vest Financial LLC Purchases 18,017 Shares of The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG)

Vest Financial LLC raised its stake in shares of The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG - Free Report) by 5.2% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 365,925 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 18,017 shares during the period. Procter & Gamble accounts for 1.0% of Vest Financial LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 20th largest position. Vest Financial LLC's holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $62,361,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble in the 4th quarter worth about $5,244,463,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in Procter & Gamble by 20,758.5% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 7,951,456 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,355,087,000 after acquiring an additional 7,913,335 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Procter & Gamble in the fourth quarter worth $1,010,685,000. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich raised its stake in Procter & Gamble by 1,195.1% during the 4th quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich now owns 3,222,585 shares of the company's stock valued at $580,596,000 after purchasing an additional 2,973,757 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capital Research Global Investors grew its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 62.5% in the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 7,398,120 shares of the company's stock worth $1,240,294,000 after purchasing an additional 2,846,560 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.77% of the company's stock.

Procter & Gamble Stock Performance

NYSE:PG traded up $1.21 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $164.01. The stock had a trading volume of 5,692,762 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,323,998. 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 $384.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.12, a PEG ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.43. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $164.14 and its 200-day simple moving average is $167.32. The Procter & Gamble Company has a 1-year low of $156.58 and a 1-year high of $180.43.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $1.54 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.53 by $0.01. Procter & Gamble had a net margin of 18.35% and a return on equity of 33.00%. The company had revenue of $19.78 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $20.42 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.52 EPS. Procter & Gamble's revenue was down 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Procter & Gamble Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 21st were paid a dividend of $1.0568 per share. This represents a $4.23 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.58%. This is an increase from Procter & Gamble's previous quarterly dividend of $1.01. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, April 21st. Procter & Gamble's dividend payout ratio is presently 66.98%.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Moses Victor Javier Aguilar sold 10,520 shares of Procter & Gamble stock in a transaction on Monday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $158.67, for a total transaction of $1,669,208.40. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 25,182 shares in the company, valued at $3,995,627.94. The trade was a 29.47% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Jennifer L. Davis sold 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.38, for a total value of $161,380.00. Following the sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada raised shares of Procter & Gamble from a "sector perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $164.00 to $177.00 in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Bank of America lowered their target price on Procter & Gamble from $190.00 to $180.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Redburn Atlantic downgraded shares of Procter & Gamble from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $161.00 target price for the company. in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Citigroup cut their target price on Procter & Gamble from $200.00 to $181.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price 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. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $178.86.

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.