Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) Shares Down 1.9% – Here’s Why

The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG)’s stock price traded down 1.9% on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $162.20 and last traded at $162.57. 1,893,869 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 71% from the average session volume of 6,476,854 shares. The stock had previously closed at $165.65.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

PG has been the subject of several recent research reports. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $159.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $186.00 to $181.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Piper Sandler reduced their price target on Procter & Gamble from $173.00 to $172.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 24th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on Procter & Gamble from $161.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Procter & Gamble in a report on Monday, February 10th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $181.82.

Procter & Gamble Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $395.62 billion, a PE ratio of 26.84, a P/E/G ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.41. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $168.31 and its 200 day simple moving average is $169.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 0.76 and a quick ratio of 0.55.

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

Procter & Gamble Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 24th were given a $1.0065 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 24th. This represents a $4.03 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.39%. Procter & Gamble’s payout ratio is currently 64.01%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 35,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $173.68, for a total transaction of $6,078,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 22,051 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,829,817.68. This represents a 61.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Marc S. Pritchard sold 90,450 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $163.84, for a total value of $14,819,328.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 172,814 shares in the company, valued at $28,313,845.76. The trade was a 34.36 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 143,450 shares of company stock valued at $23,988,008. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Procter & Gamble

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. NewSquare Capital LLC raised its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 933.3% during the fourth quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 155 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. Navigoe LLC purchased a new position in Procter & Gamble during the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Capital A Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Procter & Gamble in the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new stake in shares of Procter & Gamble during the 3rd quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, Hoey Investments Inc. increased its position in shares of Procter & Gamble by 321.7% during the fourth quarter. Hoey Investments Inc. now owns 194 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 148 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.77% of the company’s stock.

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.