Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) Trading Down 0.6% - Here's What Happened

Shares of The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG - Get Free Report) fell 0.6% during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $159.95 and last traded at $161.32. 1,699,906 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 76% from the average session volume of 7,121,818 shares. The stock had previously closed at $162.26.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently issued reports on PG. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $181.00 to $172.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Raymond James cut their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $190.00 to $185.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Barclays reiterated an "equal weight" rating on shares of Procter & Gamble in a report on Thursday, March 27th. UBS Group reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Procter & Gamble in a report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $161.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $180.79.

Procter & Gamble Stock Performance

The stock has a market cap of $379.65 billion, a PE ratio of 25.78, a P/E/G 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 business's fifty day moving average price is $167.97 and its 200-day moving average price is $168.21.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $1.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.53 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $19.78 billion during 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 revenue was down 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.52 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Procter & Gamble Increases Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 35,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $173.68, for a total transaction of $6,078,800.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 22,051 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,829,817.68. This represents 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 link. 0.18% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Procter & Gamble

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Moloney Securities Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Procter & Gamble by 42.9% during the 1st quarter. Moloney Securities Asset Management LLC now owns 36,888 shares of the company's stock valued at $6,286,000 after acquiring an additional 11,069 shares in the last quarter. Banque Pictet & Cie SA raised its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 10.7% during the 1st quarter. Banque Pictet & Cie SA now owns 613,961 shares of the company's stock worth $104,631,000 after acquiring an additional 59,148 shares in the last quarter. LBP AM SA grew its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 18.9% in the first quarter. LBP AM SA now owns 133,551 shares of the company's stock worth $22,760,000 after purchasing an additional 21,204 shares during the last quarter. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group boosted its position in shares of Procter & Gamble by 1.6% in the 1st quarter. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group now owns 38,397 shares of the company's stock worth $6,544,000 after purchasing an additional 616 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Slagle Financial LLC grew its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 1.3% during the first quarter. Slagle Financial LLC now owns 41,503 shares of the company's stock worth $7,073,000 after acquiring an additional 531 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.77% of the company's stock.

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.

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