Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) Trading Up 1.1% - Time to Buy?

The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG - Get Free Report)'s share price rose 1.1% on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $168.04 and last traded at $167.56. Approximately 1,710,178 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 76% from the average daily volume of 7,021,560 shares. The stock had previously closed at $165.75.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have commented on PG shares. UBS Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Erste Group Bank upgraded Procter & Gamble from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, March 17th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on Procter & Gamble from $161.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Morgan Stanley set a $180.00 price target on shares of Procter & Gamble and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Procter & Gamble from $176.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $180.79.

Procter & Gamble Trading Up 0.9 %

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 company's 50-day moving average price is $168.16 and its 200-day moving average price is $168.33. The firm has a market cap of $377.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.43.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $1.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.57 by ($0.03). The business had revenue of $19.78 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $20.42 billion. Procter & Gamble had a net margin of 18.35% and a return on equity of 33.00%. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.52 EPS. Equities analysts expect that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Procter & Gamble Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Investors of record on Monday, April 21st will be given a dividend of $1.0568 per share. This is a boost from Procter & Gamble's previous quarterly dividend of $1.01. This represents a $4.23 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.62%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 21st. Procter & Gamble's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 67.20%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 35,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $173.68, for a total value of $6,078,800.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 22,051 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,829,817.68. The trade was a 61.35 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Procter & Gamble

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Lakeridge Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Procter & Gamble by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Lakeridge Wealth Management LLC now owns 10,807 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,812,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Unique Wealth LLC raised its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 2.9% in the first quarter. Unique Wealth LLC now owns 2,141 shares of the company's stock valued at $365,000 after buying an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Stableford Capital II LLC grew its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 1.1% in the 1st quarter. Stableford Capital II LLC now owns 5,817 shares of the company's stock valued at $993,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Colton Groome Financial Advisors LLC grew its position in Procter & Gamble by 3.2% in the 4th quarter. Colton Groome Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,995 shares of the company's stock valued at $334,000 after buying an additional 62 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bernard Wealth Management Corp. lifted its position in Procter & Gamble by 20.2% in the first quarter. Bernard Wealth Management Corp. now owns 375 shares of the company's stock valued at $64,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.77% of the company's stock.

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.