The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) Shares Sold by West Oak Capital LLC

West Oak Capital LLC decreased its position in The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) by 13.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 46,375 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 7,380 shares during the period. West Oak Capital LLC’s holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies were worth $1,483,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Compass Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Interpublic Group of Companies in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Clear Street Markets LLC increased its position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 94.9% in the first quarter. Clear Street Markets LLC now owns 764 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 372 shares in the last quarter. Authentikos Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Resurgent Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, First Manhattan CO. LLC. grew its stake in Interpublic Group of Companies by 1,176.5% in the 1st quarter. First Manhattan CO. LLC. now owns 1,085 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 1,000 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.43% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on IPG. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 29th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from $31.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 9th. UBS Group started coverage on Interpublic Group of Companies in a report on Thursday, January 11th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $36.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on Interpublic Group of Companies from $38.00 to $37.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 9th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $35.78.

Interpublic Group of Companies Price Performance

IPG traded up $0.13 on Thursday, reaching $32.90. 1,281,751 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,188,948. The stock has a market cap of $12.46 billion, a PE ratio of 11.53, a P/E/G ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 1.06. The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $27.20 and a twelve month high of $40.95. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $32.38 and its 200-day moving average price is $31.11.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The business services provider reported $1.18 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.16 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $2.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.57 billion. Interpublic Group of Companies had a return on equity of 30.52% and a net margin of 10.09%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.02 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. will post 2.78 EPS for the current year.

Interpublic Group of Companies Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 1st were paid a $0.33 dividend. This represents a $1.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.01%. This is an increase from Interpublic Group of Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 29th. Interpublic Group of Companies’s payout ratio is 46.32%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Philippe Krakowsky sold 150,403 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.20, for a total transaction of $4,842,976.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 415,776 shares in the company, valued at $13,387,987.20. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. In other news, CEO Philippe Krakowsky sold 150,403 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.20, for a total transaction of $4,842,976.60. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 415,776 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,387,987.20. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Ellen Tobi Johnson sold 40,393 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.20, for a total transaction of $1,300,654.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 88,350 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,844,870. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 249,646 shares of company stock valued at $8,038,601. Company insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.

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.