Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) Shares Up 0.4%

The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG - Get Free Report)'s share price shot up 0.4% during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $162.55 and last traded at $162.32. 1,161,291 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 83% from the average session volume of 6,857,157 shares. The stock had previously closed at $161.66.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently weighed in on PG shares. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price 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. Argus lifted their target price on Procter & Gamble from $180.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 25th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price target on Procter & Gamble from $172.00 to $171.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 22nd. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on Procter & Gamble from $155.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 24th. Finally, Barclays increased their target price on Procter & Gamble from $168.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 23rd. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Procter & Gamble presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $169.76.

Procter & Gamble Stock Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $385.27 billion, a PE ratio of 26.67, a PEG ratio of 3.27 and a beta of 0.44. The business's 50 day moving average is $159.82 and its 200 day moving average is $153.91. The company has a current ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49.

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

Procter & Gamble Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 19th will be given a $1.0065 dividend. This represents a $4.03 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.47%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 18th. This is an increase from Procter & Gamble's previous quarterly dividend of $0.94. Procter & Gamble's dividend payout ratio is 65.85%.

Insider Transactions at Procter & Gamble

In other Procter & Gamble news, insider Balaji Purushothaman sold 28,369 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.49, for a total value of $4,581,309.81. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 11,507 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,858,265.43. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other Procter & Gamble news, insider Balaji Purushothaman sold 28,369 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.49, for a total transaction of $4,581,309.81. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 11,507 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,858,265.43. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO R. Alexandra Keith sold 776 shares of Procter & Gamble stock in a transaction on Monday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $158.11, for a total value of $122,693.36. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 4,859 shares of the company's stock, valued at $768,256.49. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 55,865 shares of company stock worth $9,009,280. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in PG. Demars Financial Group LLC raised its stake in Procter & Gamble by 4.4% during the 4th quarter. Demars Financial Group LLC now owns 1,497 shares of the company's stock worth $219,000 after acquiring an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Emerald Advisors LLC raised its position in Procter & Gamble by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Emerald Advisors LLC now owns 3,775 shares of the company's stock worth $553,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. O Brien Wealth Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 3.3% in the fourth quarter. O Brien Wealth Partners LLC now owns 2,062 shares of the company's stock valued at $302,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the period. Mechanics Financial Corp boosted its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Mechanics Financial Corp now owns 16,184 shares of the company's stock worth $2,372,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Patrick M Sweeney & Associates Inc. grew its stake in Procter & Gamble by 1.2% in the 1st quarter. Patrick M Sweeney & Associates Inc. now owns 5,266 shares of the company's stock valued at $854,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. 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.