Wesleyan Assurance Society Raises Stake in Procter & Gamble Company (The) (NYSE:PG)

Wesleyan Assurance Society lifted its position in Procter & Gamble Company (The) (NYSE:PG - Free Report) by 3.8% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 126,883 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 4,640 shares during the period. Procter & Gamble comprises 1.6% of Wesleyan Assurance Society's portfolio, making the stock its 16th largest holding. Wesleyan Assurance Society's holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $21,623,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in PG. Navigoe LLC purchased a new stake in Procter & Gamble during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Capital A Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Hoey Investments Inc. raised its position in shares of Procter & Gamble by 321.7% during the 4th quarter. Hoey Investments Inc. now owns 194 shares of the company's stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 148 shares in the last quarter. 10Elms LLP bought a new stake in shares of Procter & Gamble in the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, Sunbeam Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Procter & Gamble in the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. Institutional investors own 65.77% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have commented on PG shares. Royal Bank Of Canada raised shares of Procter & Gamble from a "sector perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and raised their target price for the company from $164.00 to $177.00 in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Raymond James Financial lowered their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $190.00 to $185.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Redburn Partners set a $161.00 price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Redburn Atlantic cut shares of Procter & Gamble from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $161.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $180.00 target price on shares of Procter & Gamble and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $176.17.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Jennifer L. Davis sold 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.38, for a total transaction of $161,380.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 51,965 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,386,111.70. This trade represents a 1.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Moses Victor Javier Aguilar sold 10,520 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the insider owned 25,182 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,995,627.94. This trade represents a 29.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.

Procter & Gamble Stock Up 0.3%

NYSE:PG traded up $0.54 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $158.82. The stock had a trading volume of 4,762,573 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,220,028. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $161.19 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $164.26. The company has a market capitalization of $372.37 billion, a PE ratio of 25.21, a PEG ratio of 4.51 and a beta of 0.40. Procter & Gamble Company has a twelve month low of $151.90 and a twelve month high of $180.43. The company has a current ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $1.54 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.53 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $19.78 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $20.42 billion. Procter & Gamble had a net margin of 18.46% and a return on equity of 32.67%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.52 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.91 EPS for the current year.

Procter & Gamble Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 18th will be given a dividend of $1.0568 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 18th. This represents a $4.23 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.66%. Procter & Gamble's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 66.98%.

Procter & Gamble Company Profile

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.