Trajan Wealth LLC Grows Position in The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG)

Trajan Wealth LLC increased its holdings in The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG - Free Report) by 12.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 182,393 shares of the business services provider's stock after buying an additional 20,655 shares during the quarter. Trajan Wealth LLC's holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies were worth $5,111,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of IPG. Allworth Financial LP lifted its holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies by 75.8% in the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,113 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 480 shares during the period. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new position in Interpublic Group of Companies in the fourth quarter valued at $36,000. GeoWealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 20.7% during the 4th quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 3,341 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $94,000 after acquiring an additional 573 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in Interpublic Group of Companies in the 3rd quarter worth about $107,000. Finally, Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan acquired a new stake in Interpublic Group of Companies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $141,000. 98.43% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Ellen Tobi Johnson sold 21,427 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.82, for a total transaction of $574,672.14. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 143,373 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,845,263.86. This represents a 13.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.42% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have issued reports on IPG. Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $35.00 price objective on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. BNP Paribas raised shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from an "underperform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $38.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 10th. StockNews.com began coverage on Interpublic Group of Companies in a report on Friday, April 18th. They issued a "hold" rating for the company. Argus lowered Interpublic Group of Companies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Interpublic Group of Companies from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $32.00 to $39.00 in a report on Monday, January 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $33.44.

Interpublic Group of Companies Trading Down 2.2 %

NYSE:IPG traded down $0.56 on Friday, reaching $24.53. 2,233,057 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,120,235. The business has a fifty day moving average of $25.89 and a 200-day moving average of $27.98. The company has a quick ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $22.51 and a 52-week high of $33.05. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.40 and a beta of 1.01.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The business services provider reported $0.33 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.30 by $0.03. Interpublic Group of Companies had a net margin of 6.45% and a return on equity of 27.10%. The company had revenue of $2 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.98 billion. As a group, analysts expect that The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. will post 2.66 earnings per share for the current year.

Interpublic Group of Companies announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback program on Wednesday, February 12th that authorizes the company to buyback $155.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the business services provider to purchase up to 1.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often a sign that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Interpublic Group of Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a $0.33 dividend. This represents a $1.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.38%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. Interpublic Group of Companies's dividend payout ratio is currently 72.13%.

About Interpublic Group of Companies

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.