Marshall Wace LLP Makes New $10.03 Million Investment in The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG)

Marshall Wace LLP acquired a new position in The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 358,054 shares of the business services provider's stock, valued at approximately $10,033,000. Marshall Wace LLP owned 0.10% of Interpublic Group of Companies as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. West Oak Capital LLC increased its position in Interpublic Group of Companies by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. West Oak Capital LLC now owns 55,595 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $1,558,000 after buying an additional 435 shares in the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP boosted its stake in Interpublic Group of Companies by 75.8% in the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,113 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 480 shares in the last quarter. Xponance Inc. increased its stake in Interpublic Group of Companies by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 59,844 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $1,677,000 after purchasing an additional 587 shares in the last quarter. Proactive Wealth Strategies LLC lifted its stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 5.8% in the fourth quarter. Proactive Wealth Strategies LLC now owns 11,094 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $311,000 after buying an additional 607 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 117,333 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $3,288,000 after acquiring an additional 611 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 98.43% of the company's stock.

Interpublic Group of Companies Stock Performance

NYSE IPG traded down $0.50 on Friday, hitting $24.58. 4,953,737 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,136,077. The business's 50 day moving average price is $25.83 and its 200-day moving average price is $27.90. The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $22.51 and a 52-week high of $33.05. The company has a current ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. The company has a market capitalization of $9.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.43 and a beta of 1.01.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The business services provider reported $0.33 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.30 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $2 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.98 billion. Interpublic Group of Companies had a return on equity of 27.10% and a net margin of 6.45%. Equities analysts expect that The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. will post 2.66 earnings per share for the current year.

Interpublic Group of Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were paid a dividend of $0.33 per share. This represents a $1.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.37%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. Interpublic Group of Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 100.76%.

Interpublic Group of Companies declared that its board has authorized a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, February 12th that authorizes the company to buyback $155.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the business services provider to purchase up to 1.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are typically a sign that the company's board believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Citigroup restated a "buy" rating and issued a $35.00 price target on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and raised their price target for the company from $32.00 to $39.00 in a report on Monday, January 27th. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from $36.00 to $34.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in a research report on Saturday. They issued a "hold" rating for the company. Finally, Argus cut Interpublic Group of Companies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. 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 company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $33.44.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Interpublic Group of Companies news, CFO Ellen Tobi Johnson sold 21,427 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.82, for a total value of $574,672.14. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.42% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Interpublic Group of Companies 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.