The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) Shares Acquired by Handelsbanken Fonder AB

Handelsbanken Fonder AB lifted its stake in The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) by 4.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 96,900 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,700 shares during the quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB’s holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies were worth $2,715,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of IPG. State Street Corp raised its stake in Interpublic Group of Companies by 15.1% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 29,844,859 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $943,993,000 after purchasing an additional 3,920,975 shares during the period. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC grew its holdings in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 240.9% during the third quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 28,862 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $913,000 after buying an additional 20,395 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its position in Interpublic Group of Companies by 2,679.9% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 30,523 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $965,000 after buying an additional 29,425 shares during the period. ING Groep NV purchased a new stake in Interpublic Group of Companies in the 3rd quarter worth about $1,589,000. Finally, Bridgewater Associates LP boosted its position in Interpublic Group of Companies by 956.5% during the 3rd quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP now owns 104,734 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $3,313,000 after acquiring an additional 94,821 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.43% of the company’s stock.

Interpublic Group of Companies Stock Up 1.8 %

Interpublic Group of Companies stock opened at $27.56 on Tuesday. The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $26.30 and a 1-year high of $35.17. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $28.03 and its 200-day simple moving average is $29.72. The company has a market capitalization of $10.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.06 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a current ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The business services provider reported $1.11 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.15 by ($0.04). Interpublic Group of Companies had a return on equity of 27.10% and a net margin of 6.45%. Sell-side analysts forecast that The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. will post 2.66 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Interpublic Group of Companies announced that its board has authorized a share repurchase program on Wednesday, February 12th that permits the company to buyback $155.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the business services provider to repurchase up to 1.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Interpublic Group of Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be paid a $0.33 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.79%. Interpublic Group of Companies’s payout ratio is 72.13%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Barclays upgraded Interpublic Group of Companies from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their target price for the company from $32.00 to $36.00 in a report on Friday, January 24th. StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in a research note on Friday. They issued a “hold” rating on the stock. BNP Paribas raised shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from an “underperform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $38.00 target price for the company in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Argus downgraded shares of 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 increased their price objective for the stock from $32.00 to $39.00 in a report on Monday, January 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $33.50.

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.