Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) Stock Rating Lowered by Jefferies Financial Group

Jefferies Financial Group cut shares of Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note published on Wednesday, MarketBeat reports. The firm currently has $175.00 price target on the stock, down from their previous price target of $182.00.

A number of other brokerages also recently issued reports on PG. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $170.00 to $181.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Monday, July 22nd. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $177.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Wednesday, July 10th. BNP Paribas started coverage on shares of Procter & Gamble in a report on Monday, June 24th. They issued an outperform rating and a $187.00 price target for the company. Evercore ISI increased their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $177.00 to $183.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a report on Thursday, July 18th. Finally, TD Cowen started coverage on shares of Procter & Gamble in a report on Tuesday, July 23rd. They issued a buy rating and a $189.00 price target for the company. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $174.29.

Procter & Gamble Stock Up 1.3 %

Shares of Procter & Gamble stock opened at $169.11 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $399.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.63, a PEG ratio of 3.13 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a current ratio of 0.69. Procter & Gamble has a one year low of $141.45 and a one year high of $170.92. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $166.40 and a two-hundred day moving average of $161.59.

Procter & Gamble Dividend Announcement

The company 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. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 19th. This represents a $4.03 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.38%. Procter & Gamble’s dividend payout ratio is currently 65.69%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of PG. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC purchased a new position in Procter & Gamble in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $17,696,000. Campbell Wealth Management raised its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 13.1% in the fourth quarter. Campbell Wealth Management now owns 1,988 shares of the company’s stock valued at $291,000 after buying an additional 231 shares during the period. Herold Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Herold Advisors Inc. now owns 26,592 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,897,000 after purchasing an additional 581 shares during the period. V Square Quantitative Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 29.0% during the first quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 43,202 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,010,000 after purchasing an additional 9,716 shares during the period. Finally, Metis Global Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 15.7% during the fourth quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 115,039 shares of the company’s stock valued at $16,858,000 after purchasing an additional 15,599 shares during the period. 65.77% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Procter & Gamble

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.