Hartford Investment Management Co. Sells 2,616 Shares of The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG)

Hartford Investment Management Co. cut its stake in The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) by 1.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 145,496 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,616 shares during the period. Procter & Gamble accounts for about 0.8% of Hartford Investment Management Co.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 18th biggest position. Hartford Investment Management Co.’s holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $24,392,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Capital Advisors Inc. OK lifted its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Capital Advisors Inc. OK now owns 322,979 shares of the company’s stock valued at $54,147,000 after acquiring an additional 8,290 shares during the period. Certuity LLC raised its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 5.8% during the fourth quarter. Certuity LLC now owns 14,409 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,416,000 after buying an additional 784 shares during the last quarter. Community Financial Services Group LLC lifted its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. Community Financial Services Group LLC now owns 43,339 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,266,000 after buying an additional 1,037 shares during the period. Beacon Financial Group boosted its stake in Procter & Gamble by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. Beacon Financial Group now owns 9,305 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,560,000 after acquiring an additional 224 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Signet Investment Advisory Group Inc. grew its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Signet Investment Advisory Group Inc. now owns 22,404 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,756,000 after acquiring an additional 158 shares during the period. 65.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on PG shares. UBS Group reduced their price target on Procter & Gamble from $196.00 to $189.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Procter & Gamble from $176.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $186.00 to $181.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. DA Davidson reissued a “buy” rating and set a $209.00 price target on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Procter & Gamble from $174.00 to $191.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $180.53.

Insider Buying and Selling at Procter & Gamble

In other Procter & Gamble news, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 47,847 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 27th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at $7,189,463.68. The trade was a 54.48 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Balaji Purushothaman sold 12,800 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $172.73, for a total transaction of $2,210,944.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 11,595 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,002,804.35. This represents a 52.47 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 151,097 shares of company stock worth $25,635,076 over the last quarter. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Procter & Gamble Trading Up 1.2 %

Shares of NYSE:PG opened at $169.53 on Wednesday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $167.06 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $169.44. The Procter & Gamble Company has a one year low of $153.52 and a one year high of $180.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 0.76 and a quick ratio of 0.55. The stock has a market capitalization of $397.52 billion, a PE ratio of 26.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 0.45.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The company reported $1.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.86 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $21.88 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.66 billion. Procter & Gamble had a return on equity of 33.00% and a net margin of 18.35%. Procter & Gamble’s revenue was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.84 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Procter & Gamble Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 24th will be given a dividend of $1.0065 per share. This represents a $4.03 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.37%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 24th. Procter & Gamble’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 64.17%.

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.