Johnson Financial Group Inc. Boosts Stock Position in The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG)

Johnson Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG - Free Report) by 23.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 76,066 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 14,379 shares during the period. Procter & Gamble comprises approximately 0.6% of Johnson Financial Group Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 26th largest position. Johnson Financial Group Inc.'s holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $12,703,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of PG. NewSquare Capital LLC raised its position in shares of Procter & Gamble by 933.3% during the 4th quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 155 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares during the period. Hoey Investments Inc. raised its position in shares of Procter & Gamble by 321.7% during the fourth quarter. Hoey Investments Inc. now owns 194 shares of the company's stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 148 shares during the last quarter. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA bought a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble during the fourth quarter worth $34,000. Atlantic Private Wealth LLC grew its stake in Procter & Gamble by 95.3% during the fourth quarter. Atlantic Private Wealth LLC now owns 207 shares of the company's stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 101 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in Procter & Gamble in the 4th quarter valued at $38,000. 65.77% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Procter & Gamble

In other Procter & Gamble news, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 18,000 shares of Procter & Gamble stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $171.66, for a total transaction of $3,089,880.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 22,051 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,785,274.66. This trade represents a 44.94 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.18% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Procter & Gamble Stock Down 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE PG traded down $0.33 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $161.93. 2,708,187 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 8,278,036. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $167.97 and a 200 day moving average of $168.21. The Procter & Gamble Company has a 1 year low of $156.58 and a 1 year high of $180.43. The company has a quick ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The stock has a market cap of $379.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.79, a P/E/G ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.43.

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

Procter & Gamble Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 21st will be given 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 yield of 2.61%. This is a boost from Procter & Gamble's previous quarterly dividend of $1.01. Procter & Gamble's payout ratio is currently 66.98%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on PG. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on Procter & Gamble from $161.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of Procter & Gamble from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, March 17th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Procter & Gamble from $176.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock 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, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $181.00 to $172.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $180.79.

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.