Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) Reaches New 1-Year High at $167.65

Shares of The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week high on Monday . The stock traded as high as $167.65 and last traded at $166.78, with a volume of 706531 shares. The stock had previously closed at $166.85.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Procter & Gamble from $162.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 24th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on Procter & Gamble from $175.00 to $182.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 22nd. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $168.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 23rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $172.00 to $171.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 22nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Procter & Gamble from $169.00 to $162.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 18th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $169.76.

Procter & Gamble Stock Down 0.6 %

The firm has a market capitalization of $391.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.08, a P/E/G ratio of 3.39 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a current ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $160.63 and a 200 day moving average price of $154.84.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Friday, April 19th. The company reported $1.52 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.42 by $0.10. Procter & Gamble had a return on equity of 33.91% and a net margin of 18.00%. The business had revenue of $20.20 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $20.43 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.37 EPS. Procter & Gamble's revenue was up .6% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Procter & Gamble Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Investors of record on Friday, April 19th will be given a $1.0065 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 18th. This represents a $4.03 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.43%. This is a boost from Procter & Gamble's previous quarterly dividend of $0.94. Procter & Gamble's dividend payout ratio is currently 65.69%.

Insider Activity at Procter & Gamble

In related news, COO Shailesh Jejurikar sold 31,859 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.90, for a total value of $5,253,549.10. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 9,739 shares in the company, valued at $1,605,961.10. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other Procter & Gamble news, COO Shailesh Jejurikar sold 31,859 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.90, for a total value of $5,253,549.10. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 9,739 shares in the company, valued at $1,605,961.10. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 21,388 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.98, for a total transaction of $3,528,592.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 36,854 shares in the company, valued at $6,080,172.92. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 140,112 shares of company stock worth $22,841,321 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.17% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Procter & Gamble

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of PG. Advantage Trust Co purchased a new stake in Procter & Gamble in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Naples Money Management LLC purchased a new stake in Procter & Gamble in the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Ruedi Wealth Management Inc. lifted its stake in Procter & Gamble by 64.7% in the 1st quarter. Ruedi Wealth Management Inc. now owns 196 shares of the company's stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares in the last quarter. Wyrmwood Management LLC purchased a new stake in Procter & Gamble in the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Transcendent Capital Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble in the 4th quarter worth $31,000. 65.77% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Procter & Gamble

The Procter & Gamble Company provides branded consumer packaged goods worldwide. It operates through five segments: Beauty; Grooming; Health Care; Fabric & Home Care; and Baby, Feminine & Family Care. The Beauty segment offers conditioners, shampoos, styling aids, and treatments under the Head & Shoulders, Herbal Essences, Pantene, and Rejoice brands; and antiperspirants and deodorants, personal cleansing, and skin care products under the Olay, Old Spice, Safeguard, Secret, and SK-II brands.