Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) Trading Up 0.5% - Still a Buy?

The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG - Get Free Report) shot up 0.5% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $169.67 and last traded at $169.37. 1,286,242 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 84% from the average session volume of 8,072,465 shares. The stock had previously closed at $168.47.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently commented on PG. Truist Financial lifted their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $180.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a "sector perform" rating and set a $164.00 target price on shares of Procter & Gamble in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on Procter & Gamble from $181.00 to $172.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price 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. Finally, Piper Sandler reduced their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $173.00 to $172.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 24th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $181.50.

Procter & Gamble Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $400.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.16, a PEG ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a current ratio of 0.76. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $168.39 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $168.48.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 22nd. The company reported $1.88 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.86 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $21.88 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.66 billion. Procter & Gamble had a net margin of 18.35% and a return on equity of 33.00%. The company's revenue was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.84 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Procter & Gamble Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Investors of record on Monday, April 21st will be issued a dividend of $1.0568 per share. This represents a $4.23 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.48%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 21st. This is a positive change from Procter & Gamble's previous quarterly dividend of $1.01. Procter & Gamble's dividend payout ratio is presently 67.20%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Marc S. Pritchard sold 90,450 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $163.84, for a total value of $14,819,328.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 172,814 shares of the company's stock, valued at $28,313,845.76. This trade represents a 34.36 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 18,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $171.66, for a total value of $3,089,880.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 22,051 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,785,274.66. This trade represents a 44.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 143,450 shares of company stock valued at $23,988,008 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Procter & Gamble

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of PG. Berkshire Asset Management LLC PA increased its position in shares of Procter & Gamble by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Berkshire Asset Management LLC PA now owns 236,616 shares of the company's stock valued at $38,833,000 after acquiring an additional 2,179 shares during the period. Strategic Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 3.4% in the fourth quarter. Strategic Advisors LLC now owns 55,912 shares of the company's stock worth $9,374,000 after purchasing an additional 1,818 shares during the last quarter. Copley Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Procter & Gamble during the third quarter worth about $668,000. Fortem Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in Procter & Gamble in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $569,000. Finally, Richard C. Young & CO. LTD. raised its position in Procter & Gamble by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. Richard C. Young & CO. LTD. now owns 123,853 shares of the company's stock worth $20,764,000 after buying an additional 2,568 shares during the last quarter. 65.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.