The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) Receives Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Shares of The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG - Get Free Report) have earned a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the twenty-four research firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $178.52.

A number of research firms have issued reports on PG. Morgan Stanley set a $180.00 price target on shares of Procter & Gamble and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $200.00 to $181.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 25th. Raymond James decreased their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $190.00 to $185.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 25th. Royal Bank of Canada upgraded shares of Procter & Gamble from a "sector perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and upped their price target for the company from $164.00 to $177.00 in a report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Erste Group Bank cut shares of Procter & Gamble from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 30th.

Insider Activity at Procter & Gamble

In related news, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 18,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $171.66, for a total transaction of $3,089,880.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 22,051 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,785,274.66. This trade represents a 44.94% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Jennifer L. Davis sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.38, for a total transaction of $161,380.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 51,965 shares in the company, valued at $8,386,111.70. This represents a 1.89% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 64,520 shares of company stock worth $10,999,268. Insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Procter & Gamble

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. NewSquare Capital LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 933.3% during the 4th quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 155 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. Navigoe LLC bought a new stake in Procter & Gamble in the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Capital A Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Procter & Gamble during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Hoey Investments Inc. boosted its position in shares of Procter & Gamble by 321.7% during the fourth quarter. Hoey Investments Inc. now owns 194 shares of the company's stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 148 shares during the last quarter. Finally, LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA bought a new stake in Procter & Gamble in the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.77% of the company's stock.

Procter & Gamble Stock Up 1.3%

Procter & Gamble stock traded up $2.02 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $159.68. 1,073,001 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,178,212. The company has a current ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The stock has a market cap of $374.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.38, a P/E/G ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.41. Procter & Gamble has a 1-year low of $156.30 and a 1-year high of $180.43. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $165.92 and a two-hundred day moving average of $167.54.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $1.54 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.53 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $19.78 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $20.42 billion. Procter & Gamble had a net margin of 18.35% and a return on equity of 33.00%. The business's quarterly revenue was down 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.52 earnings per share. As a group, analysts anticipate that Procter & Gamble will post 6.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Procter & Gamble Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 21st will be given a $1.0568 dividend. This represents a $4.23 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.65%. This is a boost from Procter & Gamble's previous quarterly dividend of $1.01. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 21st. Procter & Gamble's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 66.98%.

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.