The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) Shares Purchased by Boston Trust Walden Corp

Boston Trust Walden Corp increased its stake in shares of The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG - Free Report) by 3.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,157,358 shares of the business services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 38,925 shares during the quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp owned approximately 0.30% of Interpublic Group of Companies worth $37,776,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. raised its stake in Interpublic Group of Companies by 22.2% in the fourth quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 1,734 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $56,000 after buying an additional 315 shares during the last quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 2.8% in the fourth quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. now owns 11,732 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $391,000 after purchasing an additional 320 shares during the last quarter. Clear Street Markets LLC raised its stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 94.9% in the first quarter. Clear Street Markets LLC now owns 764 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 372 shares during the last quarter. Keybank National Association OH raised its stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 3.3% in the third quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 12,000 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $344,000 after purchasing an additional 387 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Great Lakes Retirement Inc. raised its stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 3.9% in the fourth quarter. Great Lakes Retirement Inc. now owns 10,198 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $333,000 after purchasing an additional 387 shares during the last quarter. 98.43% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Barclays raised their price objective on Interpublic Group of Companies from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, January 29th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Interpublic Group of Companies from $31.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 9th. UBS Group assumed coverage on 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. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on 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 presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $35.25.

Interpublic Group of Companies Stock Performance

Interpublic Group of Companies stock traded down $0.45 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $31.46. 2,289,937 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,175,606. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.91 billion, a PE ratio of 11.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 1.13. The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $27.20 and a fifty-two week high of $40.95. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $32.36 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $31.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.06.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 8th. The business services provider reported $1.18 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.16 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $2.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.57 billion. Interpublic Group of Companies had a return on equity of 30.52% and a net margin of 10.09%. The business's revenue was up 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.02 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. will post 2.78 earnings per share for the current year.

Interpublic Group of Companies Increases Dividend

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

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Philippe Krakowsky sold 150,403 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.20, for a total transaction of $4,842,976.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 415,776 shares in the company, valued at $13,387,987.20. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, CEO Philippe Krakowsky sold 150,403 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.20, for a total transaction of $4,842,976.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 415,776 shares in the company, valued at $13,387,987.20. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Andrew Bonzani sold 40,468 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 27th. The stock was 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 $2,267,878.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 249,646 shares of company stock worth $8,038,601 over the last three months. 0.35% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

About Interpublic Group of Companies

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.