The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) Shares Bought by Mizuho Markets Americas LLC

Mizuho Markets Americas LLC grew its holdings in shares of The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG - Free Report) by 36.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 30,171 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 8,081 shares during the period. Mizuho Markets Americas LLC's holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $4,421,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of PG. Advantage Trust Co acquired a new position in Procter & Gamble in the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Naples Money Management LLC acquired a new position in Procter & Gamble in the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Wyrmwood Management LLC acquired a new position in Procter & Gamble in the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Procter & Gamble in the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Criterion Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Procter & Gamble in the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. 65.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Procter & Gamble news, insider Moses Victor Javier Aguilar sold 9,149 shares of Procter & Gamble stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $167.72, for a total value of $1,534,470.28. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 12,929 shares in the company, valued at $2,168,451.88. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. In other Procter & Gamble news, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 22,000 shares of Procter & Gamble stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 23rd. The shares were 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 directly owns 36,845 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,943,835.40. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Moses Victor Javier Aguilar sold 9,149 shares of Procter & Gamble stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $167.72, for a total transaction of $1,534,470.28. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 12,929 shares in the company, valued at $2,168,451.88. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 149,261 shares of company stock worth $24,375,791. 0.17% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Procter & Gamble Price Performance

NYSE:PG traded down $0.22 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $167.64. 4,700,819 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,490,397. The Procter & Gamble Company has a one year low of $141.45 and a one year high of $168.34. The company has a market capitalization of $395.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.39, a P/E/G ratio of 3.41 and a beta of 0.43. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $161.31 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $155.42. 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 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 firm had revenue of $20.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $20.43 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.37 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up .6% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.55 EPS for the current year.

Procter & Gamble Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Investors of record on Friday, April 19th were issued a dividend of $1.0065 per share. This is a boost from Procter & Gamble's previous quarterly dividend of $0.94. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 18th. This represents a $4.03 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.40%. Procter & Gamble's payout ratio is presently 65.69%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently commented on PG shares. Argus lifted their price target on Procter & Gamble from $180.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on Procter & Gamble from $156.00 to $157.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 24th. Raymond James lifted their target price on Procter & Gamble from $170.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 24th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on Procter & Gamble from $175.00 to $182.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 22nd. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on Procter & Gamble from $168.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 23rd. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Procter & Gamble currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $169.76.

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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