Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) Trading 0.7% Higher

The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG)’s stock price traded up 0.7% on Thursday . The company traded as high as $170.09 and last traded at $169.10. 1,715,634 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 73% from the average session volume of 6,459,251 shares. The stock had previously closed at $168.00.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on PG. TD Cowen initiated coverage on shares of Procter & Gamble in a report on Tuesday. They issued a “buy” rating and a $189.00 price target for the company. Argus increased their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $180.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 25th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered Procter & Gamble from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $182.00 to $175.00 in a research note on Wednesday. StockNews.com raised Procter & Gamble from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their target price on Procter & Gamble from $171.00 to $176.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Procter & Gamble has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $174.29.

Procter & Gamble Stock Up 0.2 %

The firm’s 50 day moving average is $166.39 and its 200-day moving average is $161.32. The firm has a market cap of $397.40 billion, a PE ratio of 27.63, a P/E/G ratio of 3.13 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a quick ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49.

Procter & Gamble Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 19th will be paid a dividend of $1.0065 per share. This represents a $4.03 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.39%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 19th. Procter & Gamble’s dividend payout ratio is presently 65.85%.

Insider Transactions at Procter & Gamble

In related news, CEO Sundar G. Raman sold 31,924 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $166.95, for a total transaction of $5,329,711.80. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 19,042 shares in the company, valued at $3,179,061.90. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other news, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 21,388 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.98, for a total transaction of $3,528,592.24. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 36,854 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,080,172.92. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Sundar G. Raman sold 31,924 shares of Procter & Gamble stock in a transaction on Monday, May 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $166.95, for a total value of $5,329,711.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 19,042 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,179,061.90. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 125,320 shares of company stock worth $20,696,223 over the last quarter. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Procter & Gamble

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Community Financial Services Group LLC raised its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 3.5% in the second quarter. Community Financial Services Group LLC now owns 41,314 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,814,000 after buying an additional 1,407 shares during the period. Field & Main Bank increased its position in shares of Procter & Gamble by 1.2% in the second quarter. Field & Main Bank now owns 25,522 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,209,000 after acquiring an additional 291 shares in the last quarter. Waypoint Capital Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 6.2% in the 2nd quarter. Waypoint Capital Advisors LLC now owns 2,163 shares of the company’s stock valued at $357,000 after acquiring an additional 126 shares during the period. Yeomans Consulting Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Procter & Gamble during the 2nd quarter worth $564,000. Finally, Shelter Ins Retirement Plan acquired a new stake in Procter & Gamble in the 2nd quarter valued at $9,845,000. 65.77% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Procter & Gamble Company Profile

The Procter & Gamble Company provides branded consumer packaged goods worldwide. It operates through five segments: Beauty; Grooming; Health Care; Fabric & Home Care; and Baby, Feminine & Family Care. The Beauty segment offers conditioners, shampoos, styling aids, and treatments under the Head & Shoulders, Herbal Essences, Pantene, and Rejoice brands; and antiperspirants and deodorants, personal cleansing, and skin care products under the Olay, Old Spice, Safeguard, Secret, and SK-II brands.