Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) Trading 0.3% Higher

The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG - Get Free Report)'s share price rose 0.3% on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $156.94 and last traded at $155.95. Approximately 6,103,296 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 0% from the average daily volume of 6,114,070 shares. The stock had previously closed at $155.45.

Analyst Ratings Changes

PG has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $172.00 to $178.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on shares of Procter & Gamble in a report on Friday, March 1st. They set a "neutral" rating and a $168.00 target price on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $162.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 24th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $156.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 24th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Procter & Gamble from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, February 29th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $168.53.

Procter & Gamble Stock Up 0.6 %

The firm has a market cap of $369.33 billion, a PE ratio of 26.29, a PEG ratio of 3.18 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a current ratio of 0.64. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $159.16 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $152.80.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 23rd. The company reported $1.84 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.70 by $0.14. Procter & Gamble had a net margin of 17.60% and a return on equity of 34.04%. The business had revenue of $21.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $21.48 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.59 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Procter & Gamble Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 19th will be issued a $1.0065 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 18th. This is a positive change from Procter & Gamble's previous quarterly dividend of $0.94. This represents a $4.03 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.56%. Procter & Gamble's dividend payout ratio is 62.98%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Ma. Fatima Francisco sold 74,443 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.30, for a total value 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 approximately $149,160.90. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other Procter & Gamble news, insider Marc S. Pritchard sold 101,704 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.57, for a total transaction of $15,618,683.28. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 163,428 shares in the company, valued at approximately $25,097,637.96. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Ma. Fatima Francisco sold 74,443 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief executive officer now owns 973 shares of the company's stock, valued at $149,160.90. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 279,063 shares of company stock worth $43,187,745. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Procter & Gamble

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Advantage Trust Co purchased a new stake in shares of Procter & Gamble during the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Wyrmwood Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Procter & Gamble during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Naples Money Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Procter & Gamble during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Transcendent Capital Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Procter & Gamble during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Criterion Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Procter & Gamble during the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. 65.77% of the stock is currently owned by 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.