Willis Investment Counsel Sells 45,000 Shares of Procter & Gamble Company (The) $PG

Key Points

• Willis Investment Counsel cut its Procter & Gamble stake by 21.5%, selling 45,000 shares and retaining 164,370 shares valued at approximately $23.9 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 65.77% of PG.
• Analyst sentiment remains generally positive, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and average price target of $162.20, although some firms recently downgraded or reduced their targets.
• PG shares recently traded at $158.47, while the company announced a quarterly dividend of $1.0885 per share, representing a 2.7% annualized yield. Investors are awaiting fiscal first-quarter results, scheduled for October 22, with attention on volumes, pricing pressure and margins.

Willis Investment Counsel lessened its holdings in Procter & Gamble Company (The) (NYSE:PG - Free Report) by 21.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 164,370 shares of the company's stock after selling 45,000 shares during the period. Willis Investment Counsel's holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $23,880,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of PG. Baxter Bros Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Procter & Gamble during the second quarter worth approximately $12,381,000. Empowered Funds LLC purchased a new position in Procter & Gamble in the second quarter worth approximately $53,549,000. Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new position in Procter & Gamble in the second quarter worth approximately $3,850,628,000. Rokos Capital Management LLP acquired a new position in Procter & Gamble during the 1st quarter worth approximately $29,914,000. Finally, State Street Corp grew its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 1.0% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 102,216,308 shares of the company's stock worth $14,988,999,000 after acquiring an additional 965,461 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.77% of the company's stock.

Key Stories Impacting Procter & Gamble

Here are the key news stories impacting Procter & Gamble this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Procter & Gamble raised its dividend for the 70th consecutive year, reinforcing its status as a premier income stock and supporting investor confidence in the durability of its cash flows. The Ultimate Dividend Growth Stock to Buy With $100 Right Now
• Positive Sentiment: Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed its “outperform” rating and assigned a $166 price target, implying roughly 4.7% upside from the cited share price. The endorsement suggests confidence in PG’s defensive business model and earnings outlook. Benzinga analyst-rating report
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and financial commentators highlighted PG’s innovation strategy, including brand investment, artificial-intelligence capabilities and productivity initiatives. These efforts could improve market share and revive organic sales growth over the long term. Procter & Gamble’s Innovation Push
• Positive Sentiment: A new Head & Shoulders Scalp Care Collection uses targeted, clinically tested formulations for different scalp-health needs, providing another example of PG’s effort to premiumize and refresh established brands. Why Is Procter & Gamble Refreshing Its Scalp Care Playbook Now?
• Neutral Sentiment: PG’s fiscal first-quarter results are scheduled for October 22. Preview coverage is centered on whether improving product volumes can offset pricing pressure, with investors watching organic sales, margins and management’s outlook closely. Procter & Gamble Earnings Preview
• Negative Sentiment: PG’s dividend yield is less attractive than Nike’s after Nike’s steep share-price decline, which may encourage income investors to compare alternatives. This is a relative-valuation concern rather than a change to PG’s dividend policy. Nike Now Yields More Than Procter & Gamble

Insider Transactions at Procter & Gamble

In related news, CEO Paul Gama sold 2,225 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.34, for a total transaction of $323,381.50. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 51,124 shares in the company, valued at $7,430,362.16. This trade represents a 4.17% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, CAO Matthew Janzaruk sold 359 shares of Procter & Gamble stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.24, for a total value of $52,141.16. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 1,271 shares in the company, valued at approximately $184,600.04. This trade represents a 22.02% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 15,135 shares of company stock worth $2,189,970. Insiders own 0.23% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on PG shares. Argus lowered shares of Procter & Gamble from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, August 7th. HSBC reaffirmed a "hold" rating and set a $149.00 price objective (down from $182.00) on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on Procter & Gamble from $169.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, June 29th. Evercore raised Procter & Gamble from an "in-line" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $166.00 target price on the stock in a report on Tuesday, October 6th. Finally, TD Cowen restated a "hold" rating and issued a $150.00 price target on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research note on Wednesday, September 30th. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Procter & Gamble has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $162.20.

Procter & Gamble Stock Up 0.5%

Shares of NYSE PG traded up $0.78 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $158.47. The company had a trading volume of 2,791,793 shares, compared to its average volume of 9,665,914. The company has a current ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 0.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $147.11 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $146.62. The stock has a market cap of $368.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.94, a PEG ratio of 3.96 and a beta of 0.39. Procter & Gamble Company has a 52-week low of $137.62 and a 52-week high of $167.25.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The company reported $1.43 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.41 by $0.02. Procter & Gamble had a net margin of 18.44% and a return on equity of 31.36%. The firm had revenue of $21.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $21.38 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.48 earnings per share. Procter & Gamble's quarterly revenue was up 1.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Procter & Gamble has set its FY 2027 guidance at 6.890-7.110 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.98 earnings per share for the current year.

Procter & Gamble Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 23rd will be issued a $1.0885 dividend. This represents a $4.35 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 23rd. Procter & Gamble's payout ratio is presently 65.71%.

Procter & Gamble Profile

Procter & Gamble Company NYSE: PG is a global consumer products company that develops, manufactures and markets branded products used in households and personal care. Its portfolio includes personal health and grooming products, beauty and skin care items, baby, feminine and family care products, fabric and home care products, and oral care products.

The company's well-known brands include Pampers, Tide, Gillette, Crest, Oral-B, Head & Shoulders, Pantene, Olay, Old Spice, Dawn, Febreze and Mr.

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