Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) Rating Increased to Neutral at UBS Group

UBS Group upgraded shares of Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) from a sell rating to a neutral rating in a research report sent to investors on Thursday morning, Marketbeat reports. UBS Group currently has $27.00 price target on the business services provider’s stock, down from their previous price target of $29.00.

IPG has been the subject of several other reports. Barclays raised shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $32.00 to $36.00 in a research report on Friday, January 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $32.00 to $39.00 in a report on Monday, January 27th. Macquarie restated a “neutral” rating and set a $31.00 target price on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. BNP Paribas upgraded Interpublic Group of Companies from an “underperform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $38.00 price target for the company in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised Interpublic Group of Companies from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $26.00 to $34.00 in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Interpublic Group of Companies presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $33.50.

Interpublic Group of Companies Trading Up 0.4 %

NYSE IPG opened at $27.08 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. Interpublic Group of Companies has a 1-year low of $26.30 and a 1-year high of $35.17. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $28.30 and its 200-day simple moving average is $29.83. The company has a market capitalization of $10.09 billion, a PE ratio of 12.77 and a beta of 1.11.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The business services provider reported $1.11 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.15 by ($0.04). Interpublic Group of Companies had a return on equity of 27.76% and a net margin of 7.44%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Interpublic Group of Companies will post 2.8 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Interpublic Group of Companies declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback program on Wednesday, February 12th that allows the company to repurchase $155.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the business services provider to repurchase up to 1.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are generally an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Interpublic Group of Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be issued a $0.33 dividend. This represents a $1.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.87%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. Interpublic Group of Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 62.26%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Interpublic Group of Companies

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. State Street Corp raised its stake in Interpublic Group of Companies by 15.1% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 29,844,859 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $943,993,000 after purchasing an additional 3,920,975 shares during the last quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board increased its holdings in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 139.5% during the 4th quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 13,210,446 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $370,157,000 after purchasing an additional 7,693,636 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP raised its position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 13.0% during the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 12,975,872 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $363,584,000 after buying an additional 1,492,019 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 4.1% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 12,938,530 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $362,538,000 after buying an additional 511,607 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. grew its position in Interpublic Group of Companies by 14.8% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 10,264,732 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $287,618,000 after buying an additional 1,320,345 shares in the last quarter. 98.43% of the stock is owned by 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.