Zacks Research Has Bearish Estimate for IPG Q2 Earnings

The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) – Equities research analysts at Zacks Research cut their Q2 2025 earnings estimates for Interpublic Group of Companies in a report released on Wednesday, March 5th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now expects that the business services provider will post earnings per share of $0.65 for the quarter, down from their previous forecast of $0.77. The consensus estimate for Interpublic Group of Companies’ current full-year earnings is $2.66 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Interpublic Group of Companies’ FY2025 earnings at $2.58 EPS, Q1 2026 earnings at $0.66 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $0.72 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $0.68 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $0.74 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $2.81 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $2.99 EPS.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 6.45% and a return on equity of 27.10%.

Other equities analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $26.00 to $34.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Barclays raised shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $32.00 to $36.00 in a report on Friday, January 24th. UBS Group raised shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $29.00 to $27.00 in a report on Thursday, February 13th. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from an “underperform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $38.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Finally, Argus downgraded shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $33.50.

Interpublic Group of Companies Price Performance

NYSE IPG opened at $27.18 on Thursday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $27.76 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $29.53. 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 12-month low of $26.15 and a 12-month high of $35.17. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.85 and a beta of 1.11.

Interpublic Group of Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.33 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $1.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.86%. Interpublic Group of Companies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 72.13%.

Interpublic Group of Companies declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase program on Wednesday, February 12th that permits the company to repurchase $155.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the business services provider to buy up to 1.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are typically an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Activity at Interpublic Group of Companies

In related news, CFO Ellen Tobi Johnson sold 21,427 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.82, for a total transaction of $574,672.14. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 143,373 shares in the company, valued at $3,845,263.86. The trade was a 13.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.42% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Interpublic Group of Companies during the third quarter valued at $26,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in Interpublic Group of Companies during the third quarter valued at $32,000. Allworth Financial LP raised its position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 75.8% in the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,113 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 480 shares during the period. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, Raiffeisen Bank International AG acquired a new position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in the fourth quarter worth about $42,000. 98.43% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Interpublic Group of Companies Company Profile

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.