The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) Shares Sold by Cerity Partners LLC

Cerity Partners LLC lowered its position in The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG - Free Report) by 76.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 41,759 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 139,003 shares during the quarter. Cerity Partners LLC's holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies were worth $1,363,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in IPG. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in the fourth quarter valued at $256,699,000. First Trust Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 1,196.9% in the first quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 6,280,702 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $222,651,000 after acquiring an additional 5,796,432 shares during the period. Barclays PLC increased its stake in Interpublic Group of Companies by 462.8% in the 2nd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 1,939,546 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $74,829,000 after buying an additional 1,594,945 shares during the period. Black Creek Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in Interpublic Group of Companies by 14.1% in the 3rd quarter. Black Creek Investment Management Inc. now owns 9,722,563 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $278,649,000 after buying an additional 1,204,630 shares during the period. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased its stake in Interpublic Group of Companies by 29.3% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 4,885,776 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $162,745,000 after buying an additional 1,108,179 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.43% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

IPG has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from $38.00 to $37.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 9th. Barclays raised their price target on shares of 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 target on shares of 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. Finally, 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 target on the stock. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $35.25.

Interpublic Group of Companies Stock Up 1.1 %

NYSE IPG traded up $0.33 during trading on Friday, reaching $30.72. 4,643,856 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,223,995. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 1.06. The firm has a market cap of $11.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 1.13. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $31.98 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $31.32. The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $27.20 and a 12-month high of $40.95.

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

Interpublic Group of Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared 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 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 4.30%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 29th. Interpublic Group of Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 46.32%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Philippe Krakowsky sold 150,403 shares of the firm'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 $4,842,976.60. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 415,776 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,387,987.20. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, EVP Andrew Bonzani sold 40,468 shares of Interpublic Group of Companies stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 70,431 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,267,878.20. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Philippe Krakowsky sold 150,403 shares of Interpublic Group of Companies 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 owns 415,776 shares of the company's stock, valued at $13,387,987.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 249,646 shares of company stock worth $8,038,601. Corporate insiders own 0.35% of the company's stock.

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.