Barclays Raises Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) Price Target to $170.00

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG - Get Free Report) had its price objective increased by Barclays from $168.00 to $170.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an "overweight" rating on the stock. Barclays's price objective would indicate a potential upside of 5.26% from the company's previous close.

PG has been the topic of a number of other research reports. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Procter & Gamble from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 29th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $156.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research report on Friday, March 1st. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $168.00 price objective on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $155.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 24th. Finally, Raymond James lifted their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $170.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 24th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Procter & Gamble has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $168.88.

Procter & Gamble Trading Up 0.6 %

PG traded up $0.96 on Tuesday, reaching $161.50. 7,642,490 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,968,534. Procter & Gamble has a one year low of $141.45 and a one year high of $163.14. The company has a quick ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The company has a market cap of $380.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.19 and a beta of 0.44. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $159.32 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $153.26.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 19th. The company reported $1.52 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.42 by $0.10. Procter & Gamble had a net margin of 18.00% and a return on equity of 33.77%. The business had revenue of $20.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.43 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.37 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up .6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Procter & Gamble will post 6.53 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Procter & Gamble

In related news, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 22,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.32, for a total value of $3,549,040.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 36,845 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,943,835.40. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Procter & Gamble news, CEO Ma. Fatima Francisco sold 74,443 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.30, for a total transaction of $11,412,111.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 973 shares in the company, valued at $149,160.90. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 22,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.32, for a total transaction of $3,549,040.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 36,845 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,943,835.40. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 279,918 shares of company stock worth $43,323,263 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.17% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Procter & Gamble

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Advantage Trust Co purchased a new stake in shares of Procter & Gamble in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Wyrmwood Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Procter & Gamble in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Naples Money Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Procter & Gamble in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Transcendent Capital Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Procter & Gamble in the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Criterion Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Procter & Gamble in the fourth quarter valued at about $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.77% of the company's stock.

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.