Analysts Set The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) PT at $33.50

Shares of The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) have received an average rating of “Hold” from the ten research firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, four have issued a hold recommendation and five have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $33.67.

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $32.00 to $39.00 in a report on Monday, January 27th. StockNews.com started coverage on Interpublic Group of Companies in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. They set a “hold” rating for the company. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from an “underperform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $38.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 10th. UBS Group upgraded shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their target price for the company from $29.00 to $27.00 in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Argus lowered shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Ellen Tobi Johnson sold 21,427 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.82, for a total transaction of $574,672.14. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 143,373 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,845,263.86. This represents a 13.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.42% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Interpublic Group of Companies

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Donaldson Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 19.9% during the first quarter. Donaldson Capital Management LLC now owns 31,532 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $856,000 after buying an additional 5,226 shares during the period. CX Institutional purchased a new position in Interpublic Group of Companies during the 1st quarter valued at $179,000. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies by 462.1% in the 1st quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 114,134 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $3,100,000 after purchasing an additional 93,829 shares in the last quarter. International Private Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 7.5% in the 1st quarter. International Private Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 10,133 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $275,000 after purchasing an additional 711 shares during the period. Finally, Tounjian Advisory Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies during the 1st quarter valued at about $934,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.43% of the company’s stock.

Interpublic Group of Companies Stock Performance

Shares of IPG stock opened at $25.13 on Friday. Interpublic Group of Companies has a one year low of $22.51 and a one year high of $33.05. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $26.33 and a 200-day moving average of $28.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.09 and a quick ratio of 1.09. The company has a market cap of $9.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.73 and a beta of 1.01.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) last released its earnings results 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 net margin of 6.45% and a return on equity of 27.10%. Equities research analysts forecast that Interpublic Group of Companies will post 2.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Interpublic Group of Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a dividend of $0.33 per share. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.25%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. Interpublic Group of Companies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 72.13%.

Interpublic Group of Companies declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback program on Wednesday, February 12th that authorizes the company to repurchase $155.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the business services provider to purchase up to 1.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

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.