Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) Trading Down 1.1% - Should You Sell?

Key Points

• Procter & Gamble shares slipped 1.1% on Wednesday, trading below their prior close and under both the 50-day and 200-day moving averages. Trading volume was also lighter than usual, suggesting reduced investor participation.
• Analysts have trimmed price targets on PG, though sentiment remains constructive overall with 11 Buy ratings and 9 Hold ratings. MarketBeat data shows an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $161.06.
• The company beat EPS expectations in its latest quarter and raised its dividend to $1.0885 per share, implying a 3.1% annualized yield. However, revenue came in below estimates, and insiders have been active sellers in recent months.

Procter & Gamble Company (The) (NYSE:PG - Get Free Report)'s share price fell 1.1% on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $141.66 and last traded at $142.3410. 6,671,502 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 37% from the average session volume of 10,646,760 shares. The stock had previously closed at $143.91.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

PG has been the topic of several analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $159.00 to $155.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. BNP Paribas Exane reduced their target price on Procter & Gamble from $172.00 to $165.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Procter & Gamble from $175.00 to $166.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on Procter & Gamble from $142.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Procter & Gamble from $165.00 to $162.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $161.06.

Procter & Gamble Stock Performance

The stock's 50 day moving average is $147.20 and its two-hundred day moving average is $148.40. The stock has a market capitalization of $331.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.15 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a current ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 24th. The company reported $1.59 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.56 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $21.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.52 billion. Procter & Gamble had a return on equity of 32.00% and a net margin of 19.16%.The company's quarterly revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.54 earnings per share. Procter & Gamble has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.830-7.090 EPS. Analysts expect that Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Procter & Gamble Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 24th will be given a dividend of $1.0885 per share. This is an increase from Procter & Gamble's previous quarterly dividend of $1.06. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 24th. This represents a $4.35 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.1%. Procter & Gamble's payout ratio is currently 63.60%.

Insider Activity at Procter & Gamble

In related news, Chairman Jon R. Moeller sold 162,232 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $162.45, for a total transaction of $26,354,588.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman owned 319,385 shares in the company, valued at approximately $51,884,093.25. This represents a 33.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Ma. Fatima Francisco sold 5,549 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.29, for a total transaction of $917,194.21. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,029 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $170,083.41. This trade represents a 84.36% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 220,852 shares of company stock worth $35,880,848. 0.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Procter & Gamble

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 8.3% in the 1st quarter. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC now owns 1,642 shares of the company's stock valued at $237,000 after acquiring an additional 126 shares in the last quarter. Signature Equity Partners LLC boosted its position in Procter & Gamble by 11.0% during the first quarter. Signature Equity Partners LLC now owns 5,823 shares of the company's stock valued at $841,000 after purchasing an additional 575 shares during the last quarter. Alpha Financial Partners LLC acquired a new position in Procter & Gamble during the first quarter valued at approximately $270,000. Alesco Advisors LLC An ESL Co grew its stake in Procter & Gamble by 1.9% in the first quarter. Alesco Advisors LLC An ESL Co now owns 5,091 shares of the company's stock valued at $735,000 after purchasing an additional 93 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP increased its position in shares of Procter & Gamble by 6.5% during the 1st quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,767,050 shares of the company's stock worth $255,233,000 after purchasing an additional 107,640 shares during the last quarter. 65.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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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