Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) Trading Down 1.2% - Should You Sell?

Key Points

• Shares fell 1.2% to $144.89 on Thursday, with about 10.3 million shares traded—roughly 7% below the average session volume and down from a $146.71 close.
• Analysts remain generally positive: the consensus is a Moderate Buy with an average price target of $168.33 (14 Buys, 7 Holds), and several firms recently raised targets (e.g., JPMorgan to $165, Wells Fargo to $177).
• P&G reported $1.88 EPS (beat estimates) on $22.21B revenue (slightly below expectations), pays a $1.0568 quarterly dividend (~2.9% yield), and saw notable insider selling including the chairman's 162,232-share sale.

Procter & Gamble Company (The) (NYSE:PG - Get Free Report) fell 1.2% during trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $144.79 and last traded at $144.8890. 10,297,724 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 7% from the average session volume of 11,105,375 shares. The stock had previously closed at $146.71.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on PG shares. Rothschild & Co Redburn increased 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 Procter & Gamble from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Procter & Gamble from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and lifted their target price for the company from $157.00 to $165.00 in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company restated an "overweight" rating and set a $177.00 price target on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Finally, Erste Group Bank raised Procter & Gamble from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $168.33.

Procter & Gamble Stock Down 1.2%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a current ratio of 0.72. The company has a market capitalization of $336.72 billion, a PE ratio of 21.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.06 and a beta of 0.37. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $153.95 and its 200 day simple moving average is $150.86.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 23rd. The company reported $1.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.86 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $22.21 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.36 billion. Procter & Gamble had a net margin of 19.30% and a return on equity of 32.21%. The business's revenue was up 1.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.88 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Procter & Gamble Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 23rd were paid a dividend of $1.0568 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 23rd. This represents a $4.23 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.9%. Procter & Gamble's payout ratio is 62.67%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Procter & Gamble news, insider Susan Street Whaley sold 1,809 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $159.46, for a total value of $288,463.14. Following the sale, the insider owned 30,215 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,818,083.90. This represents a 5.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Chairman Jon R. Moeller sold 162,232 shares of Procter & Gamble stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $162.45, for a total value of $26,354,588.40. Following the transaction, the chairman directly owned 319,385 shares of the company's stock, valued at $51,884,093.25. This trade represents a 33.68% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 348,618 shares of company stock worth $55,462,643. 0.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Procter & Gamble

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Cornerstone Planning LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Procter & Gamble in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $3,084,000. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. raised its position in shares of Procter & Gamble by 11.5% during the 4th quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 1,109,236 shares of the company's stock worth $158,965,000 after purchasing an additional 114,301 shares during the last quarter. Lane Brothers & Co. Inc. purchased a new stake in Procter & Gamble in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $293,000. World Investment Advisors grew its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 15.9% during the 4th quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 105,915 shares of the company's stock valued at $15,179,000 after buying an additional 14,492 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Demming Financial Services Corp ADV purchased a new position in Procter & Gamble during the fourth quarter worth $256,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.77% of the company's stock.

About Procter & Gamble

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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