Brokerages Set The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) Price Target at $180.45

The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the twenty-three research firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $179.75.

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on PG shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $179.00 to $186.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, September 19th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and set a $164.00 price target on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Procter & Gamble from $174.00 to $191.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $190.00 to $176.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Hsbc Global Res upgraded Procter & Gamble to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 4th.

Procter & Gamble Price Performance

PG opened at $162.07 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $381.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.94, a P/E/G ratio of 3.70 and a beta of 0.45. Procter & Gamble has a 12 month low of $146.28 and a 12 month high of $180.43. The company has a quick ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $169.83 and a 200 day simple moving average of $169.70.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, October 18th. The company reported $1.93 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.90 by $0.03. Procter & Gamble had a return on equity of 33.25% and a net margin of 17.07%. The company had revenue of $21.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.99 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.83 earnings per share. Procter & Gamble’s revenue was down .6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that Procter & Gamble will post 6.94 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO R. Alexandra Keith sold 1,992 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total value of $338,640.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 13,783 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,343,110. This trade represents a 12.63 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 47,847 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $179.84, for a total value of $8,604,804.48. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 39,977 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,189,463.68. The trade was a 54.48 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 75,439 shares of company stock valued at $13,317,460 over the last quarter. 0.18% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Procter & Gamble

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Fiera Capital Corp boosted its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 1,135.1% during the second quarter. Fiera Capital Corp now owns 20,688 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,412,000 after purchasing an additional 19,013 shares in the last quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund grew its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 0.9% during the 2nd quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 202,837 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,452,000 after acquiring an additional 1,735 shares during the last quarter. Founders Financial Securities LLC increased its position in Procter & Gamble by 26.9% in the 2nd quarter. Founders Financial Securities LLC now owns 30,410 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,015,000 after acquiring an additional 6,447 shares during the period. Archer Investment Corp raised its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 8.4% during the second quarter. Archer Investment Corp now owns 8,939 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,474,000 after acquiring an additional 693 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Aveo Capital Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 38.0% in the second quarter. Aveo Capital Partners LLC now owns 6,110 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,008,000 after purchasing an additional 1,684 shares during the last quarter. 65.77% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Procter & Gamble Company Profile

The Procter & Gamble Company engages in the provision of branded consumer packaged goods worldwide. The company operates through five segments: Beauty; Grooming; Health Care; Fabric & Home Care; and Baby, Feminine & Family Care. The Beauty segment offers conditioners, shampoos, styling aids, and treatments under the Head & Shoulders, Herbal Essences, Pantene, and Rejoice brands; and antiperspirants and deodorants, personal cleansing, and skin care products under the Olay, Old Spice, Safeguard, Secret, SK-II, and Native brands.