UBS Group Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) Stock Price

Key Points

• UBS Group trimmed its price target for Procter & Gamble to $166 (from $170) but retained a "buy" rating, implying roughly a 17.7% upside from the recent close.
• Analysts collectively have a "Moderate Buy" consensus with an average price target of $166.83, while PG traded near $141.04—close to its 52-week low—indicating potential upside if estimates are met.
• Insiders sold a total of 348,618 shares (about $55.5 million) over the last quarter, reducing insider ownership to 0.20%.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG - Get Free Report) had its price target decreased by research analysts at UBS Group from $170.00 to $166.00 in a research note issued on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a "buy" rating on the stock. UBS Group's price target would indicate a potential upside of 17.70% from the stock's previous close.

Other equities analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Dbs Bank upgraded Procter & Gamble from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Procter & Gamble from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $156.00 to $179.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. BNP Paribas Exane decreased their price objective on Procter & Gamble from $172.00 to $164.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 16th. TD Cowen decreased their price objective on Procter & Gamble from $156.00 to $142.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. Finally, Piper Sandler initiated coverage on Procter & Gamble in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $150.00 price objective for the company. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $166.83.

Procter & Gamble Stock Performance

PG stock traded down $1.73 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $141.04. 3,716,563 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 11,396,813. The company has a quick ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49. Procter & Gamble has a 52 week low of $137.62 and a 52 week high of $171.65. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $153.43 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $149.46. The stock has a market capitalization of $327.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.04 and a beta of 0.41.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Procter & Gamble news, insider Balaji Purushothaman sold 12,827 shares of Procter & Gamble stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.31, for a total value of $2,056,296.37. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 12,639 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,026,158.09. The trade was a 50.37% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Marc S. Pritchard sold 95,903 shares of Procter & Gamble stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $151.15, for a total value of $14,495,738.45. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 182,607 shares in the company, valued at approximately $27,601,048.05. This represents a 34.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 348,618 shares of company stock worth $55,462,643. 0.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in PG. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Procter & Gamble during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 1,000.0% during the 4th quarter. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. now owns 165 shares of the company's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. Park Square Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 65.1% during the 4th quarter. Park Square Financial Group LLC now owns 180 shares of the company's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 1,315.4% during the 4th quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. now owns 184 shares of the company's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 171 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Litman Gregory Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Procter & Gamble during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. 65.77% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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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