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 received an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the twenty-four brokerages that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $178.52.

A number of research analysts have weighed in on PG shares. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $176.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. 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. Piper Sandler raised their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $160.00 to $164.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Citigroup cut their target price on Procter & Gamble from $200.00 to $181.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised Procter & Gamble from a "sector perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and raised their price target for the stock from $164.00 to $177.00 in a research note on Friday, April 25th.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 35,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $173.68, for a total value of $6,078,800.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 22,051 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,829,817.68. This represents a 61.35 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Moses Victor Javier Aguilar sold 10,520 shares of Procter & Gamble stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $158.67, for a total transaction of $1,669,208.40. Following the sale, the insider now owns 25,182 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,995,627.94. The trade was a 29.47 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 64,520 shares of company stock valued at $10,999,268. Company insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Procter & Gamble

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of PG. Lakeridge Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Lakeridge Wealth Management LLC now owns 10,807 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,812,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the period. Unique Wealth LLC increased its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 2.9% in the first quarter. Unique Wealth LLC now owns 2,141 shares of the company's stock valued at $365,000 after buying an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Stableford Capital II LLC raised its position in shares of Procter & Gamble by 1.1% in the first quarter. Stableford Capital II LLC now owns 5,817 shares of the company's stock worth $993,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares during the period. Colton Groome Financial Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 3.2% during the 4th quarter. Colton Groome Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,995 shares of the company's stock worth $334,000 after acquiring an additional 62 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bernard Wealth Management Corp. grew its position in shares of Procter & Gamble by 20.2% during the 1st quarter. Bernard Wealth Management Corp. now owns 375 shares of the company's stock valued at $64,000 after acquiring an additional 63 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.77% of the company's stock.

Procter & Gamble Trading Down 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE:PG traded down $0.92 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $157.73. The company's stock had a trading volume of 6,450,866 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,192,383. The stock has a market capitalization of $369.80 billion, a PE ratio of 25.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.41. Procter & Gamble has a 12 month low of $156.58 and a 12 month high of $180.43. 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 firm's 50 day simple moving average is $165.92 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $167.57.

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

Procter & Gamble Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 21st will be paid a dividend of $1.0568 per share. This represents a $4.23 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.68%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 21st. This is an increase from Procter & Gamble's previous quarterly dividend of $1.01. Procter & Gamble's payout ratio 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.