Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG - Get Free Report) dropped 0.1% on Monday . The company traded as low as $166.57 and last traded at $166.65. Approximately 1,197,617 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 82% from the average daily volume of 6,761,897 shares. The stock had previously closed at $166.85.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

PG has been the topic of several recent research reports. Stifel Nicolaus boosted 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. Barclays lifted their price objective on Procter & Gamble from $168.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 23rd. Argus increased their target price on Procter & Gamble from $180.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 25th. StockNews.com cut Procter & Gamble from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, February 29th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price objective on Procter & Gamble from $172.00 to $171.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 22nd. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $169.76.

Procter & Gamble Stock Down 0.6 %

The stock has a fifty day moving average of $160.63 and a two-hundred day moving average of $154.84. The stock has a market cap of $391.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.08, a PEG ratio of 3.39 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a quick ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49.

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

Procter & Gamble Increases Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Procter & Gamble

In related news, insider Susan Street Whaley sold 3,865 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.60, for a total transaction of $620,719.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 11,886 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,908,891.60. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, insider Susan Street Whaley sold 3,865 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.60, for a total transaction of $620,719.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 11,886 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,908,891.60. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO R. Alexandra Keith sold 776 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $158.11, for a total transaction 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. Insiders have sold 140,112 shares of company stock valued at $22,841,321 over the last three months. 0.17% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Procter & Gamble

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Advantage Trust Co bought a new stake in Procter & Gamble in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Naples Money Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Procter & Gamble in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Ruedi Wealth Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Procter & Gamble by 64.7% during the 1st quarter. Ruedi Wealth Management Inc. now owns 196 shares of the company's stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 77 shares in the last quarter. Wyrmwood Management LLC bought a new position in Procter & Gamble during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Finally, Transcendent Capital Group LLC acquired a new position in Procter & Gamble in the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.

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