Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) Trading Down 1.1% Following Analyst Downgrade

Key Points

• Shares fell 1.1% after UBS lowered its price target from $170 to $166 while maintaining a buy rating; the stock traded as low as $140.74 and the consensus price target is about $166.83 with a "Moderate Buy" average (12 Buy, 9 Hold).
• There has been notable insider selling: CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 36,093 shares at an average of $162.33 and Ma. Fatima Francisco sold 5,549 shares, with insiders disposing of 348,618 shares (~$55.46M) in the past 90 days (insiders own 0.20%).
• Latest quarter showed a slight EPS beat ($1.88 vs. $1.86 estimate) but revenue missed ($22.21B vs. $22.36B); P&G pays a quarterly dividend of $1.0568 (annual $4.23) for a 3.0% yield and a payout ratio of 62.5%.

Shares of Procter & Gamble Company (The) (NYSE:PG - Get Free Report) dropped 1.1% during trading on Tuesday after UBS Group lowered their price target on the stock from $170.00 to $166.00. UBS Group currently has a buy rating on the stock. Procter & Gamble traded as low as $140.74 and last traded at $141.1660. Approximately 6,367,014 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 44% from the average daily volume of 11,442,538 shares. The stock had previously closed at $142.77.

A number of other analysts have also recently commented on the stock. Rothschild & Co Redburn boosted their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $155.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Dbs Bank raised shares of Procter & Gamble from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. TD Cowen reduced their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $156.00 to $142.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $177.00 price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Procter & Gamble currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $166.83.

Insider Activity at Procter & Gamble

In related news, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 36,093 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $162.33, for a total transaction of $5,858,976.69. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 34,994 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,680,576.02. This represents a 50.77% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Ma. Fatima Francisco sold 5,549 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.29, for a total transaction of $917,194.21. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,029 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $170,083.41. This represents a 84.36% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 348,618 shares of company stock worth $55,462,643 in the last 90 days. 0.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Procter & Gamble

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of PG. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Procter & Gamble in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 1,000.0% in the 4th quarter. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. now owns 165 shares of the company's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares during the last quarter. Park Square Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 65.1% in the 4th quarter. Park Square Financial Group LLC now owns 180 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 1,315.4% in the 4th quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. now owns 184 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 171 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Litman Gregory Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Procter & Gamble in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. 65.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Procter & Gamble Stock Down 1.1%

The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $153.43 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $149.46. The company has a current ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49. The company has a market capitalization of $328.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.04 and a beta of 0.41.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 23rd. The company reported $1.88 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.86 by $0.02. Procter & Gamble had a net margin of 19.30% and a return on equity of 32.21%. The firm had revenue of $22.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.36 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.88 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 1.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.91 EPS for the current year.

Procter & Gamble Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 23rd were issued a $1.0568 dividend. This represents a $4.23 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 23rd. Procter & Gamble's dividend payout ratio is currently 62.52%.

Procter & Gamble Company Profile

Procter & Gamble NYSE: PG is a multinational consumer goods company headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in 1837 by William Procter and James Gamble, P&G has grown into one of the world's largest producers of branded consumer packaged goods. The company focuses on developing, manufacturing and marketing a broad portfolio of household and personal care products sold to consumers and retailers worldwide.

P&G's product offering spans several core business categories, including Beauty, Grooming, Health Care, Fabric & Home Care, and Baby, Feminine & Family Care.

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