Fundsmith Investment Services LTD. Sells 1,673 Shares of The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG)

Fundsmith Investment Services LTD. trimmed its holdings in The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG - Free Report) by 0.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 2,053,257 shares of the company's stock after selling 1,673 shares during the period. Procter & Gamble makes up about 4.5% of Fundsmith Investment Services LTD.'s holdings, making the stock its 11th largest holding. Fundsmith Investment Services LTD. owned approximately 0.09% of Procter & Gamble worth $344,229,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. NewSquare Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 933.3% in the fourth quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 155 shares of the company's stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 140 shares during the last quarter. Navigoe LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Procter & Gamble during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Hoey Investments Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 321.7% in the 4th quarter. Hoey Investments Inc. now owns 194 shares of the company's stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 148 shares during the period. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA acquired a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble during the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. Finally, Atlantic Private Wealth LLC lifted its position in shares of Procter & Gamble by 95.3% during the 4th quarter. Atlantic Private Wealth LLC now owns 207 shares of the company's stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.77% of the company's stock.

Procter & Gamble Stock Performance

Shares of PG traded up $3.22 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $160.88. 7,377,661 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 7,202,376. The Procter & Gamble Company has a 1-year low of $156.30 and a 1-year high of $180.43. The firm has a market capitalization of $377.18 billion, a PE ratio of 25.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.41. The business's 50 day moving average price is $165.92 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $167.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a current ratio of 0.76.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $1.54 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.53 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $19.78 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.42 billion. Procter & Gamble had a net margin of 18.35% and a return on equity of 33.00%. The business's quarterly revenue was down 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.52 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Procter & Gamble Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 21st will be issued a dividend of $1.0568 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 21st. This represents a $4.23 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.63%. This is an increase from Procter & Gamble's previous quarterly dividend of $1.01. Procter & Gamble's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 66.98%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Moses Victor Javier Aguilar sold 10,520 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 now directly owns 25,182 shares in the company, valued at $3,995,627.94. The trade was a 29.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 35,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $173.68, for a total transaction of $6,078,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 22,051 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,829,817.68. The trade was a 61.35% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 64,520 shares of company stock worth $10,999,268. 0.18% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on PG. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $181.00 to $172.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Erste Group Bank downgraded Procter & Gamble from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Procter & Gamble from $176.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. UBS Group restated a "buy" rating on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Redburn Partners set a $161.00 price objective on Procter & Gamble in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. 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 company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $178.52.

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.