Marshall Wace LLP Grows Holdings in PPG Industries, Inc. (NYSE:PPG)

Marshall Wace LLP raised its position in shares of PPG Industries, Inc. (NYSE:PPG - Free Report) by 50.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 168,908 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after acquiring an additional 56,640 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP owned approximately 0.07% of PPG Industries worth $20,176,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in PPG. NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of PPG Industries by 8.5% during the 4th quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 18,380 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $2,195,000 after buying an additional 1,440 shares during the last quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of PPG Industries by 551.1% during the 4th quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC now owns 34,435 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $4,113,000 after purchasing an additional 29,146 shares during the period. United Capital Financial Advisors LLC increased its stake in PPG Industries by 11.5% during the 4th quarter. United Capital Financial Advisors LLC now owns 8,192 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $979,000 after buying an additional 845 shares during the period. Jump Financial LLC increased its stake in shares of PPG Industries by 40.8% during the fourth quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 5,612 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $670,000 after buying an additional 1,626 shares during the period. Finally, Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board increased its holdings in PPG Industries by 51.8% in the fourth quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board now owns 16,602 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $1,983,000 after buying an additional 5,666 shares during the last quarter. 81.86% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

PPG Industries Price Performance

Shares of PPG stock traded down $1.81 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $102.33. 706,752 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,261,301. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.58 and a quick ratio of 1.13. PPG Industries, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $90.24 and a fifty-two week high of $137.24. The company has a market cap of $23.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.63, a P/E/G ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 1.16. The stock's fifty day moving average is $108.15 and its two-hundred day moving average is $117.29.

PPG Industries (NYSE:PPG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.61 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.65 by ($0.04). PPG Industries had a return on equity of 23.78% and a net margin of 6.41%. Sell-side analysts forecast that PPG Industries, Inc. will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

PPG Industries Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 12th. Investors of record on Monday, May 12th will be paid a $0.68 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 12th. This represents a $2.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.66%. PPG Industries's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 57.51%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Timothy M. Knavish sold 4,800 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.35, for a total value of $568,080.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 35,833 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,240,835.55. This trade represents a 11.81 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.33% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Bank of America reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $126.00 target price (down from $143.00) on shares of PPG Industries in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of PPG Industries from $135.00 to $113.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Barclays reaffirmed an "equal weight" rating on shares of PPG Industries in a report on Monday, February 3rd. StockNews.com cut PPG Industries from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Argus cut shares of PPG Industries from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, PPG Industries has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $130.67.

About PPG Industries

PPG Industries, Inc manufactures and distributes paints, coatings, and specialty materials in the United States, Canada, the Asia Pacific, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. It operates through two segments, Performance Coatings and Industrial Coatings. The Performance Coatings segment offers coatings, solvents, adhesives, sealants, sundries, and software for automotive and commercial transport/fleet repair and refurbishing, light industrial coatings, and specialty coatings for signs; wood stains; paints, thermoplastics, pavement marking products, and other advanced technologies for pavement marking for government, commercial infrastructure, painting, and maintenance contractors; and coatings, sealants, transparencies, transparent armor, adhesives, engineered materials, and packaging and chemical management services for commercial, military, regional jet, and general aviation aircraft.