SGL Investment Advisors Inc. Has $3.61 Million Holdings in The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG)

SGL Investment Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG - Free Report) by 9.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 134,738 shares of the business services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 11,992 shares during the period. Interpublic Group of Companies makes up approximately 1.9% of SGL Investment Advisors Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 24th largest holding. SGL Investment Advisors Inc.'s holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies were worth $3,608,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in IPG. Barclays PLC grew its stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 0.8% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 1,651,753 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $52,243,000 after purchasing an additional 13,546 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 49,532 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $1,388,000 after purchasing an additional 884 shares during the period. Czech National Bank grew its stake in Interpublic Group of Companies by 5.6% in the fourth quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 80,768 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $2,263,000 after acquiring an additional 4,257 shares during the period. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in Interpublic Group of Companies by 127.7% in the fourth quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 15,723 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $441,000 after acquiring an additional 8,819 shares during the period. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its stake in Interpublic Group of Companies by 389.5% in the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 70,487 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $1,975,000 after acquiring an additional 56,087 shares during the period. 98.43% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have issued reports on IPG shares. StockNews.com started coverage on Interpublic Group of Companies in a research note on Monday. They issued a "hold" rating for the company. UBS Group raised Interpublic Group of Companies from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and decreased their target price for the company from $29.00 to $27.00 in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Argus cut Interpublic Group of Companies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Interpublic Group of Companies from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and boosted their target price for the company from $32.00 to $39.00 in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Barclays decreased their target price on Interpublic Group of Companies from $36.00 to $34.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $33.44.

Interpublic Group of Companies Stock Performance

Shares of Interpublic Group of Companies stock opened at $25.20 on Friday. The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $22.51 and a one year high of $33.05. The firm has a market cap of $9.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.77 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.09 and a quick ratio of 1.09. The stock's 50-day moving average is $25.20 and its 200-day moving average is $27.38.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The business services provider reported $0.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.30 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $2 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.98 billion. Interpublic Group of Companies had a return on equity of 27.10% and a net margin of 6.45%. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.36 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. will post 2.66 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Interpublic Group of Companies declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback program on Wednesday, February 12th that permits the company to buyback $155.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the business services provider to buy up to 1.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically an indication that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Transactions at Interpublic Group of Companies

In other news, CFO Ellen Tobi Johnson sold 21,427 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.82, for a total transaction of $574,672.14. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 143,373 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,845,263.86. This trade represents a 13.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.42% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Interpublic Group of Companies Company Profile

The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc provides advertising and marketing services worldwide. It operates in three segments: Media, Data & Engagement Solutions, Integrated Advertising & Creativity Led Solutions, and Specialized Communications & Experiential Solutions. The Media, Data & Engagement Solutions segment provides media and communications services, digital services and products, advertising and marketing technology, e-commerce services, data management and analytics, strategic consulting, and digital brand experience under the IPG Mediabrands, UM, Initiative, Kinesso, Acxiom, Huge, MRM, and R/GA brand names.

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