Wills Financial Group LLC Buys New Shares in Procter & Gamble Company (The) (NYSE:PG)

Key Points

• Wills Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in Procter & Gamble, purchasing 50,559 shares worth approximately $8.6 million, making it the firm's fifth largest holding.
• Procter & Gamble reported $1.48 earnings per share for the most recent quarter, exceeding expectations and demonstrating 1.7% revenue growth compared to the same period last year.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $1.0568 per share, reflecting an annualized dividend yield of 2.8% and a payout ratio of 64.98%.

Wills Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in Procter & Gamble Company (The) (NYSE:PG - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 50,559 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,616,000. Procter & Gamble makes up about 3.8% of Wills Financial Group LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 5th largest holding.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Northern Trust Corp grew its position in Procter & Gamble by 10.1% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 29,395,208 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,928,107,000 after purchasing an additional 2,703,757 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its stake in Procter & Gamble by 15.8% in the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 16,274,563 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,728,430,000 after acquiring an additional 2,224,912 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. lifted its stake in Procter & Gamble by 13.6% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 11,265,453 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,888,653,000 after acquiring an additional 1,345,501 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in Procter & Gamble by 2.8% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 9,712,499 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,628,252,000 after acquiring an additional 267,534 shares during the last quarter. Finally, 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. Institutional investors own 65.77% of the company's stock.

Procter & Gamble Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of Procter & Gamble stock opened at $150.65 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 0.49 and a current ratio of 0.70. Procter & Gamble Company has a 52-week low of $149.91 and a 52-week high of $180.43. The stock has a market capitalization of $353.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.14, a P/E/G ratio of 3.98 and a beta of 0.37. The company's 50 day moving average price is $159.83 and its 200-day moving average price is $164.04.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $1.48 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.42 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $20.89 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $20.79 billion. Procter & Gamble had a net margin of 18.95% and a return on equity of 32.56%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.40 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.91 EPS for the current year.

Procter & Gamble Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 15th. Shareholders 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.8%. Procter & Gamble's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 64.98%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have commented on PG shares. Morgan Stanley set a $180.00 price target on shares of Procter & Gamble and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Redburn Atlantic cut shares of Procter & Gamble from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $161.00 price target for the company. in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Raymond James Financial reduced their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $190.00 to $185.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 25th. Evercore ISI reaffirmed an "in-line" rating and set a $170.00 target price (down previously from $190.00) on shares of Procter & Gamble in a report on Monday, July 14th. Finally, UBS Group set a $180.00 target price on shares of Procter & Gamble and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Procter & Gamble presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $175.88.

Procter & Gamble 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.

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