Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) Shares Up 0.7% – Should You Buy?

The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG)’s share price was up 0.7% during trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $170.19 and last traded at $170.19. Approximately 923,176 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 86% from the average daily volume of 6,655,963 shares. The stock had previously closed at $168.95.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on Procter & Gamble from $157.00 to $164.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Hsbc Global Res upgraded shares of Procter & Gamble to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 4th. Wolfe Research raised shares of Procter & Gamble to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $179.00 to $186.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $171.00 to $176.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $176.21.

Procter & Gamble Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 0.73 and a quick ratio of 0.53. The company has a fifty day moving average of $171.48 and a 200-day moving average of $166.78. The firm has a market cap of $403.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.96, a P/E/G ratio of 3.67 and a beta of 0.41.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The company reported $1.40 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.37 by $0.03. Procter & Gamble had a net margin of 17.71% and a return on equity of 33.46%. The company had revenue of $20.53 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $20.69 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.37 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Procter & Gamble Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 18th will be paid a $1.0065 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 18th. This represents a $4.03 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.35%. Procter & Gamble’s payout ratio is presently 65.69%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Susan Street Whaley sold 634 shares of Procter & Gamble stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $171.65, for a total transaction of $108,826.10. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 19,341 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,319,882.65. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, CFO Andre Schulten sold 13,041 shares of Procter & Gamble stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total value of $2,216,970.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 37,208 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,325,360. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Susan Street Whaley sold 634 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $171.65, for a total value of $108,826.10. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 19,341 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,319,882.65. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 383,194 shares of company stock valued at $65,140,718 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in PG. Alera Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Procter & Gamble by 1.2% in the first quarter. Alera Investment Advisors LLC now owns 5,007 shares of the company’s stock worth $812,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the period. Hudson Value Partners LLC raised its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 4.1% during the second quarter. Hudson Value Partners LLC now owns 1,516 shares of the company’s stock valued at $250,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares during the period. Traveka Wealth LLC boosted its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 1.7% in the third quarter. Traveka Wealth LLC now owns 3,554 shares of the company’s stock worth $616,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares during the period. Fiduciary Alliance LLC grew its position in shares of Procter & Gamble by 2.8% during the second quarter. Fiduciary Alliance LLC now owns 2,261 shares of the company’s stock worth $371,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Finally, LCM Capital Management Inc raised its stake in Procter & Gamble by 1.1% during the 1st quarter. LCM Capital Management Inc now owns 5,701 shares of the company’s stock valued at $925,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.77% of the company’s stock.

Procter & Gamble Company Profile

The Procter & Gamble Company engages in the provision of branded consumer packaged goods worldwide. The company 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, SK-II, and Native brands.