The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) Shares Sold by Jefferies Financial Group Inc.

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. reduced its position in The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG - Free Report) by 70.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 26,846 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 65,511 shares during the period. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.'s holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies were worth $752,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board raised its stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 139.5% in the fourth quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 13,210,446 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $370,157,000 after purchasing an additional 7,693,636 shares during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its position in Interpublic Group of Companies by 25,637.0% in the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 7,403,256 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $207,439,000 after buying an additional 7,374,491 shares during the last quarter. Amundi lifted its stake in Interpublic Group of Companies by 133.6% during the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 5,402,201 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $150,393,000 after acquiring an additional 3,089,387 shares during the period. Magnetar Financial LLC lifted its stake in Interpublic Group of Companies by 12,548.6% during the 4th quarter. Magnetar Financial LLC now owns 2,425,247 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $67,955,000 after acquiring an additional 2,406,073 shares during the period. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies during the 4th quarter valued at about $51,794,000. 98.43% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Interpublic Group of Companies

In other news, CFO Ellen Tobi Johnson sold 21,427 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.82, for a total value of $574,672.14. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 143,373 shares in the company, valued at $3,845,263.86. This represents a 13.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Insiders own 0.42% of the company's stock.

Interpublic Group of Companies Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:IPG traded down $0.03 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $25.46. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,181,353 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,179,999. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.41 billion, a PE ratio of 13.91 and a beta of 1.09. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $25.16 and a 200 day moving average of $27.31. The company has a quick ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $22.51 and a twelve month high of $33.05.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The business services provider reported $0.33 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.30 by $0.03. Interpublic Group of Companies had a net margin of 6.45% and a return on equity of 27.10%. The business had revenue of $2 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.98 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.36 EPS. The business's revenue was down 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. will post 2.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Interpublic Group of Companies declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, February 12th that allows the company to repurchase $155.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the business services provider to buy up to 1.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Argus downgraded shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. UBS Group upgraded Interpublic Group of Companies from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $29.00 to $27.00 in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Interpublic Group of Companies from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $32.00 to $39.00 in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Citigroup reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $35.00 price target on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Finally, Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from $36.00 to $34.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 25th. One 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. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $33.44.

About Interpublic Group of Companies

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.