Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) Trading Down 0.3% After Earnings Miss

The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG - Get Free Report)'s share price traded down 0.3% on Friday after the company announced weaker than expected quarterly earnings. The stock traded as low as $157.77 and last traded at $159.06. 3,590,736 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 49% from the average session volume of 7,083,420 shares. The stock had previously closed at $159.53.

The company reported $1.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.53 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $19.78 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $20.42 billion. Procter & Gamble had a return on equity of 33.00% and a net margin of 18.35%. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.52 EPS.

Procter & Gamble Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Investors of record on Monday, April 21st will be paid a $1.0568 dividend. This represents a $4.23 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.60%. This is a positive change from Procter & Gamble's previous quarterly dividend of $1.01. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 21st. Procter & Gamble's payout ratio is currently 66.98%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on PG shares. Morgan Stanley set a $180.00 price target on Procter & Gamble and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday. Erste Group Bank upgraded Procter & Gamble from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, March 17th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $161.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. DA Davidson reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $209.00 target price on shares of Procter & Gamble in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Citigroup cut their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $200.00 to $181.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Procter & Gamble currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $180.79.

Insider Transactions at Procter & Gamble

In related news, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 35,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $173.68, for a total value of $6,078,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 22,051 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,829,817.68. This trade represents a 61.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Procter & Gamble

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Howard Capital Management Group LLC lifted its position in Procter & Gamble by 1.0% in the third quarter. Howard Capital Management Group LLC now owns 8,327 shares of the company's stock worth $1,442,000 after buying an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 14.7% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 4,734,588 shares of the company's stock worth $820,031,000 after purchasing an additional 608,168 shares during the period. Garden State Investment Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in Procter & Gamble in the 3rd quarter worth about $201,000. Invst LLC lifted its stake in Procter & Gamble by 0.7% in the third quarter. Invst LLC now owns 15,889 shares of the company's stock worth $2,752,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble during the third quarter valued at approximately $1,632,000. Institutional investors own 65.77% of the company's stock.

Procter & Gamble Stock Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The stock has a market cap of $380.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.84, a PEG ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.43. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $168.07 and a 200 day moving average price of $168.25.

Procter & Gamble Company Profile

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.