Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) Releases Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.01 EPS

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG - Get Free Report) posted its earnings results on Thursday. The company reported $1.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.53 by $0.01, Zacks reports. Procter & Gamble had a return on equity of 33.00% and a net margin of 18.35%. The company had revenue of $19.78 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $20.42 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.52 earnings per share. Procter & Gamble's quarterly revenue was down 2.1% on a year-over-year basis.

Procter & Gamble Trading Up 0.5 %

PG traded up $0.85 during trading on Monday, reaching $161.87. The company had a trading volume of 8,110,063 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,128,255. The company has a quick ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. Procter & Gamble has a 52 week low of $156.58 and a 52 week high of $180.43. The stock has a market cap of $379.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.78, a PEG ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.43. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $168.16 and a 200-day simple moving average of $168.32.

Procter & Gamble Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 21st will be given a dividend of $1.0568 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 21st. This is an increase from Procter & Gamble's previous quarterly dividend of $1.01. This represents a $4.23 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.61%. Procter & Gamble's dividend payout ratio is 66.98%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have issued reports on PG. Bank of America reduced their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $190.00 to $180.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Procter & Gamble from $176.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Barclays reiterated an "equal weight" rating on shares of Procter & Gamble in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $161.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Raymond James reduced their price objective on Procter & Gamble from $190.00 to $185.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Procter & Gamble presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $180.79.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 18,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $171.66, for a total transaction of $3,089,880.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 22,051 shares in the company, valued at $3,785,274.66. The trade was a 44.94 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Procter & Gamble

A hedge fund recently raised its stake in Procter & Gamble stock. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its position in The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG - Free Report) by 51.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 40,068 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 13,617 shares during the quarter. Brighton Jones LLC's holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $6,717,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. 65.77% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Procter & Gamble

Procter & Gamble Co engages in the provision of branded consumer packaged goods. It operates through the following segments: Beauty, Grooming, Health Care, Fabric and Home Care, and Baby, Feminine and Family Care. The Beauty segment offers hair, skin, and personal care. The Grooming segment consists of shave care like female and male blades and razors, pre and post shave products, and appliances.