Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) Sets New 1-Year Low – Time to Sell?

The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG)’s share price reached a new 52-week low on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $26.15 and last traded at $26.43, with a volume of 91826 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $26.46.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on IPG. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their target price for the company from $32.00 to $39.00 in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Argus downgraded shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. BNP Paribas raised shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from an “underperform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $38.00 target price for the company in a research report on Friday, January 10th. StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in a research report on Saturday. They set a “hold” rating for the company. Finally, UBS Group upgraded shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price target for the company from $29.00 to $27.00 in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $33.50.

Interpublic Group of Companies Stock Up 0.4 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a current ratio of 1.09. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.90 billion, a PE ratio of 14.53 and a beta of 1.11. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $27.82 and its 200-day simple moving average is $29.58.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The business services provider reported $1.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.15 by ($0.04). Interpublic Group of Companies had a return on equity of 27.10% and a net margin of 6.45%. On average, analysts forecast that The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. will post 2.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Interpublic Group of Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.33 per share. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.97%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. Interpublic Group of Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 72.13%.

Interpublic Group of Companies announced that its board has authorized a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, February 12th that authorizes the company to buyback $155.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the business services provider to buy up to 1.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Institutional Trading of Interpublic Group of Companies

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH purchased a new stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies during the 4th quarter valued at $11,637,000. Forum Financial Management LP grew its holdings in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 17.2% during the 4th quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 7,612 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $213,000 after purchasing an additional 1,115 shares during the last quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank grew its holdings in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 40.4% during the 4th quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 253,675 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $7,106,000 after purchasing an additional 73,054 shares during the last quarter. Neo Ivy Capital Management bought a new position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies during the 4th quarter valued at $1,923,000. Finally, Vise Technologies Inc. bought a new position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies during the 4th quarter valued at $329,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.43% of the company’s stock.

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.