Procter & Gamble Company (The) (NYSE:PG) Increases Dividend to $1.09 Per Share

Key Points

• Procter & Gamble declared a quarterly dividend of $1.0885 per share (record/ex-dividend April 24, payable May 15), a 3.0% increase from the prior quarterly payout and implying about a 3.0% yield.
• The company has raised its dividend for 70 consecutive years, and with a payout ratio around 60.3% and analysts forecasting roughly $7.34 EPS next year, the dividend appears covered by earnings.
• Insiders have been net sellers recently — 348,618 shares worth about $55.5 million were sold over the last 90 days, including a 162,232-share sale by the chairman.

Procter & Gamble Company (The) (NYSE:PG - Get Free Report) declared a quarterly dividend on Tuesday, April 14th. Investors of record on Friday, April 24th will be given a dividend of 1.0885 per share on Friday, May 15th. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 24th. This is a 3.0% increase from Procter & Gamble's previous quarterly dividend of $1.06.

Procter & Gamble has increased its dividend payment by an average of 0.1%per year over the last three years and has raised its dividend every year for the last 70 years. Procter & Gamble has a dividend payout ratio of 60.3% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities research analysts expect Procter & Gamble to earn $7.34 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $4.22 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 57.5%.

Procter & Gamble Stock Up 0.6%

PG stock opened at $144.39 on Wednesday. Procter & Gamble has a 12-month low of $137.62 and a 12-month high of $171.65. The company has a quick ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49. The company has a market cap of $335.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.39, a PEG ratio of 5.48 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a 50 day moving average of $152.63 and a two-hundred day moving average of $149.09.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Friday, January 23rd. The company reported $1.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.86 by $0.02. Procter & Gamble had a net margin of 19.30% and a return on equity of 32.21%. The company had revenue of $22.21 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.36 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.88 EPS. The company's revenue was up 1.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Procter & Gamble will post 6.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Procter & Gamble

In related news, insider Balaji Purushothaman sold 12,827 shares of Procter & Gamble stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.31, for a total value of $2,056,296.37. Following the transaction, the insider owned 12,639 shares in the company, valued at $2,026,158.09. This trade represents a 50.37% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Chairman Jon R. Moeller sold 162,232 shares of Procter & Gamble stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $162.45, for a total transaction of $26,354,588.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman owned 319,385 shares in the company, valued at $51,884,093.25. This trade represents a 33.68% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 348,618 shares of company stock worth $55,462,643. Corporate insiders own 0.20% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of PG. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC bought a new position in Procter & Gamble during the third quarter worth $25,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. increased its position in Procter & Gamble by 1,000.0% during the fourth quarter. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. now owns 165 shares of the company's stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 150 shares during the period. Park Square Financial Group LLC grew its position in Procter & Gamble by 65.1% in the 4th quarter. Park Square Financial Group LLC now owns 180 shares of the company's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. grew its position in Procter & Gamble by 1,315.4% in the 4th quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. now owns 184 shares of the company's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 171 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Litman Gregory Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Procter & Gamble in the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Institutional investors own 65.77% of the company's stock.

About Procter & Gamble

Procter & Gamble NYSE: PG is a multinational consumer goods company headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in 1837 by William Procter and James Gamble, P&G has grown into one of the world's largest producers of branded consumer packaged goods. The company focuses on developing, manufacturing and marketing a broad portfolio of household and personal care products sold to consumers and retailers worldwide.

P&G's product offering spans several core business categories, including Beauty, Grooming, Health Care, Fabric & Home Care, and Baby, Feminine & Family Care.

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