Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) Lowered to “Sell” at UBS Group

UBS Group cut shares of Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) from a neutral rating to a sell rating in a research note issued to investors on Thursday, MarketBeat.com reports. They currently have $29.00 price target on the business services provider’s stock, down from their previous price target of $34.00.

IPG has been the topic of several other research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from $37.00 to $36.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 12th. Bank of America decreased their target price on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from $36.00 to $35.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, September 5th. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from $35.00 to $34.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 25th. Macquarie reduced their price target on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from $33.00 to $31.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 25th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered Interpublic Group of Companies from an equal weight rating to an underweight rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $34.00 to $28.00 in a research report on Monday, July 22nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $33.00.

Interpublic Group of Companies Stock Down 1.3 %

IPG stock opened at $30.54 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.07, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $30.72 and a two-hundred day moving average of $30.98. Interpublic Group of Companies has a 12 month low of $27.20 and a 12 month high of $35.17. The company has a market cap of $11.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.87, a PEG ratio of 5.17 and a beta of 1.10.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 24th. The business services provider reported $0.61 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.59 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $2.71 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.33 billion. Interpublic Group of Companies had a return on equity of 27.98% and a net margin of 9.46%. The firm’s revenue was up 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.74 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that Interpublic Group of Companies will post 2.82 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Interpublic Group of Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 17th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 3rd will be issued a $0.33 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 3rd. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.32%. Interpublic Group of Companies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 46.98%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Interpublic Group of Companies

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Private Advisor Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies during the fourth quarter worth about $236,000. Principal Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in Interpublic Group of Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $242,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in Interpublic Group of Companies by 2.8% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 5,150,371 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $168,119,000 after buying an additional 141,828 shares during the period. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC grew its stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 8.6% in the fourth quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC now owns 7,787 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $254,000 after acquiring an additional 616 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 2.1% during the fourth quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 385,544 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $12,384,000 after acquiring an additional 7,750 shares during the period. 98.43% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.