Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) Sees Large Volume Increase - What's Next?

The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG - Get Free Report) shares saw an uptick in trading volume on Thursday . 14,898,785 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 168% from the previous session's volume of 5,549,116 shares.The stock last traded at $24.03 and had previously closed at $23.76.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently commented on IPG. Argus cut Interpublic Group of Companies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Wall Street Zen began coverage on Interpublic Group of Companies in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. They set a "hold" rating for the company. Barclays lowered their target price on Interpublic Group of Companies from $36.00 to $34.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $35.00 price objective on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Interpublic Group of Companies currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $33.44.

Interpublic Group of Companies Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $8.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.55 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a 50 day moving average of $24.35 and a 200 day moving average of $26.56. The company has a quick ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The business services provider reported $0.33 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.30 by $0.03. Interpublic Group of Companies had a return on equity of 27.10% and a net margin of 6.45%. The company had revenue of $2 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.98 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.36 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was down 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. will post 2.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Interpublic Group of Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Investors of record on Monday, June 2nd will be issued a $0.33 dividend. This represents a $1.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.75%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 2nd. Interpublic Group of Companies's dividend payout ratio is currently 100.76%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Assetmark Inc. raised its position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 3.0% during the 4th quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 42,496 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $1,191,000 after acquiring an additional 1,238 shares in the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 69.5% during the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 7,294 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $204,000 after acquiring an additional 2,991 shares in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $2,325,000. Allworth Financial LP raised its position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 75.8% during the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,113 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 480 shares in the last quarter. Finally, LPL Financial LLC raised its position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 465,454 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $13,042,000 after acquiring an additional 4,177 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.43% of the company's stock.

Interpublic Group of Companies Company Profile

The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc provides advertising and marketing services worldwide. It operates in three segments: Media, Data & Engagement Solutions, Integrated Advertising & Creativity Led Solutions, and Specialized Communications & Experiential Solutions. The Media, Data & Engagement Solutions segment provides media and communications services, digital services and products, advertising and marketing technology, e-commerce services, data management and analytics, strategic consulting, and digital brand experience under the IPG Mediabrands, UM, Initiative, Kinesso, Acxiom, Huge, MRM, and R/GA brand names.