Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) Issues Earnings Results

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG - Get Free Report) released its earnings results on Wednesday. The business services provider reported $0.36 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.35 by $0.01, RTT News reports. Interpublic Group of Companies had a net margin of 10.09% and a return on equity of 30.52%. The firm had revenue of $2.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.18 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.38 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was down 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year.

Interpublic Group of Companies Price Performance

Shares of IPG traded up $0.41 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $31.40. The stock had a trading volume of 5,283,647 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,069,171. The company's fifty day moving average is $31.94 and its two-hundred day moving average is $31.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 1.06. Interpublic Group of Companies has a 52 week low of $27.20 and a 52 week high of $40.95. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.02, a P/E/G ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.13.

Interpublic Group of Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 1st were issued a $0.33 dividend. This is a positive change from Interpublic Group of Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 29th. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.20%. Interpublic Group of Companies's dividend payout ratio is presently 46.32%.

Insider Transactions at Interpublic Group of Companies

In other news, EVP Andrew Bonzani sold 40,468 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.20, for a total value of $1,303,069.60. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 70,431 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,267,878.20. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Interpublic Group of Companies news, CAO Christopher F. Carroll sold 18,382 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.20, for a total transaction of $591,900.40. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 42,390 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,364,958. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Andrew Bonzani sold 40,468 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.20, for a total transaction of $1,303,069.60. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 70,431 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,267,878.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 249,646 shares of company stock valued at $8,038,601. 0.42% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

IPG has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from $31.00 to $32.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 9th. UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in a research note on Thursday, January 11th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $36.00 price objective for the company. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, January 29th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from $38.00 to $37.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 9th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Interpublic Group of Companies has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $35.25.

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.