Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB Sells 325,012 Shares of Procter & Gamble Company (The) $PG

Key Points

• Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB cut its Procter & Gamble stake by 50.8%, selling 325,012 shares and leaving 314,873 shares valued at about $48.38 million (PG was its 16th largest holding).
• Significant insider selling occurred recently: CEO Gary Coombe and Chairman Jon Moeller sold sizable blocks, and insiders have disposed of 348,618 shares worth ~$55.46 million in the past three months (insiders now own ~0.20%).
• Analysts have a consensus "Moderate Buy" on PG with an average target of $168.33; the company beat Q EPS estimates at $1.88 (by $0.02) while revenue slightly missed, and it pays a $4.23 annual dividend (≈2.8% yield).

Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB lessened its holdings in Procter & Gamble Company (The) (NYSE:PG - Free Report) by 50.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 314,873 shares of the company's stock after selling 325,012 shares during the period. Procter & Gamble comprises approximately 1.1% of Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB's holdings, making the stock its 16th biggest position. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB's holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $48,380,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in PG. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC bought a new position in Procter & Gamble in the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. Corundum Trust Company INC purchased a new stake in shares of Procter & Gamble in the 3rd quarter worth $32,000. Caitlin John LLC bought a new position in Procter & Gamble in the 3rd quarter worth $34,000. Marquette Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Procter & Gamble in the 3rd quarter worth $37,000. Finally, Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Procter & Gamble during the third quarter valued at $40,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.77% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have commented on PG. TD Cowen cut Procter & Gamble from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and upped their price target for the stock from $150.00 to $156.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. Rothschild & Co Redburn boosted their price objective on Procter & Gamble from $155.00 to $157.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Procter & Gamble from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and increased their target price for the stock from $157.00 to $165.00 in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company restated an "overweight" rating and set a $177.00 target price on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $161.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $168.33.

Procter & Gamble Price Performance

Shares of Procter & Gamble stock opened at $151.47 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $352.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.44, a PEG ratio of 5.08 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a quick ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $153.78 and its 200-day simple moving average is $150.89. Procter & Gamble Company has a 52 week low of $137.62 and a 52 week high of $174.80.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Friday, January 23rd. The company reported $1.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.86 by $0.02. Procter & Gamble had a return on equity of 32.21% and a net margin of 19.30%.The company had revenue of $22.21 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.36 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.88 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 1.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Procter & Gamble Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 23rd were given a dividend of $1.0568 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 23rd. This represents a $4.23 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. Procter & Gamble's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 62.67%.

Insider Transactions at Procter & Gamble

In other Procter & Gamble news, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 36,093 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $162.33, for a total value of $5,858,976.69. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 34,994 shares in the company, valued at $5,680,576.02. The trade was a 50.77% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Chairman Jon R. Moeller sold 162,232 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $162.45, for a total value of $26,354,588.40. Following the transaction, the chairman owned 319,385 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $51,884,093.25. The trade was a 33.68% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders have sold 348,618 shares of company stock valued at $55,462,643. 0.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Procter & Gamble Company Profile

Procter & Gamble NYSE: PG is a multinational consumer goods company headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in 1837 by William Procter and James Gamble, P&G has grown into one of the world's largest producers of branded consumer packaged goods. The company focuses on developing, manufacturing and marketing a broad portfolio of household and personal care products sold to consumers and retailers worldwide.

P&G's product offering spans several core business categories, including Beauty, Grooming, Health Care, Fabric & Home Care, and Baby, Feminine & Family Care.

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