Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) Trading 2.3% Higher - Should You Buy?

The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG - Get Free Report)'s stock price was up 2.3% during trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $169.77 and last traded at $170.23. Approximately 1,665,178 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 76% from the average daily volume of 7,037,228 shares. The stock had previously closed at $166.39.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Truist Financial raised their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $180.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $161.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a "sector perform" rating and set a $164.00 target price on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Erste Group Bank upgraded Procter & Gamble from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, March 17th. Finally, UBS Group reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $181.50.

Procter & Gamble Stock Down 2.2 %

The company has a current ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $168.39 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $168.47. The stock has a market cap of $389.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.42, a PEG ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.43.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 22nd. The company reported $1.88 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.86 by $0.02. Procter & Gamble had a return on equity of 33.00% and a net margin of 18.35%. The firm had revenue of $21.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $21.66 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.84 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.91 earnings per share 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. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 21st will be given a dividend of $1.0568 per share. This is an increase from Procter & Gamble's previous quarterly dividend of $1.01. This represents a $4.23 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.55%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 21st. Procter & Gamble's payout ratio is currently 67.20%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Marc S. Pritchard sold 90,450 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $163.84, for a total transaction of $14,819,328.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 172,814 shares in the company, valued at $28,313,845.76. The trade was a 34.36 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 35,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 owns 22,051 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,829,817.68. This represents a 61.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 143,450 shares of company stock worth $23,988,008 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. NewSquare Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 933.3% in the fourth quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 155 shares of the company's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares during the last quarter. Navigoe LLC bought a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Capital A Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble in the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Hoey Investments Inc. increased its position in Procter & Gamble by 321.7% during the 4th quarter. Hoey Investments Inc. now owns 194 shares of the company's stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 148 shares during the period. Finally, LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA acquired a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble in the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Institutional investors 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.