Maven Securities LTD Acquires Shares of 24,495 The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG)

Maven Securities LTD acquired a new position in The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 24,495 shares of the business services provider's stock, valued at approximately $686,000.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of IPG. Assetmark Inc. raised its holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies by 3.0% in the 4th quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 42,496 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $1,191,000 after purchasing an additional 1,238 shares in the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies by 69.5% in the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 7,294 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $204,000 after purchasing an additional 2,991 shares in the last quarter. Empirical Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $421,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,325,000. Finally, Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH grew its holdings in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 4.7% during the 4th quarter. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH now owns 1,030,630 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $28,878,000 after acquiring an additional 45,894 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.43% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Ellen Tobi Johnson sold 21,427 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 143,373 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,845,263.86. The trade was a 13.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 0.42% of the company's stock.

Interpublic Group of Companies Trading Down 0.1%

NYSE IPG traded down $0.03 during trading on Monday, hitting $25.47. The stock had a trading volume of 693,019 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,170,571. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $25.16 and a 200 day simple moving average of $27.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a current ratio of 1.09. The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $22.51 and a one year high of $33.05. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.92 and a beta of 1.09.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The business services provider reported $0.33 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 firm had revenue of $2 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.98 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.36 earnings per share. The company's revenue was down 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. will post 2.66 earnings per share for the current year.

Interpublic Group of Companies declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, February 12th that authorizes the company to buyback $155.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the business services provider to reacquire up to 1.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often an indication that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have weighed in on IPG shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Interpublic Group of Companies from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and upped their target price for the stock from $32.00 to $39.00 in a report on Monday, January 27th. Barclays reduced their target price on Interpublic Group of Companies from $36.00 to $34.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 25th. UBS Group raised Interpublic Group of Companies from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $29.00 to $27.00 in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Citigroup reissued 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, StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in a research report on Monday, May 12th. They set a "hold" rating on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $33.44.

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.