Procter & Gamble Company (The) (NYSE:PG) Sees Large Decrease in Short Interest

Procter & Gamble Company (The) (NYSE:PG) was the recipient of a large decrease in short interest in February. As of February 27th, there was short interest totaling 22,387,940 shares, a decrease of 13.6% from the February 12th total of 25,908,742 shares. Approximately 1.0% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 11,583,770 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.9 days. Based on an average trading volume of 11,583,770 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.9 days. Approximately 1.0% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently weighed in on PG. BNP Paribas Exane lowered their price objective on Procter & Gamble from $172.00 to $164.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price target on Procter & Gamble from $176.00 to $171.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 8th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Rothschild & Co Redburn boosted their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $155.00 to $157.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of Procter & Gamble from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Procter & Gamble currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $168.33.

Procter & Gamble Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:PG traded down $4.03 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $147.45. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 3,933,629 shares, compared to its average volume of 10,998,597. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $153.78 and its 200-day simple moving average is $150.89. The company has a market capitalization of $342.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.84, a P/E/G ratio of 5.08 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 0.72 and a quick ratio of 0.51. Procter & Gamble has a fifty-two week low of $137.62 and a fifty-two week high of $174.80.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 23rd. The company reported $1.88 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.86 by $0.02. Procter & Gamble had a net margin of 19.30% and a return on equity of 32.21%. The firm had revenue of $22.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.36 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.88 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 1.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Procter & Gamble will post 6.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Procter & Gamble Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 23rd were issued a dividend of $1.0568 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 23rd. This represents a $4.23 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.9%. Procter & Gamble’s dividend payout ratio is currently 62.67%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Moses Victor Javier Aguilar sold 15,169 shares of Procter & Gamble stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $162.28, for a total transaction of $2,461,625.32. Following the sale, the insider owned 44,735 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,259,595.80. This trade represents a 25.32% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 36,093 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $162.33, for a total value of $5,858,976.69. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 34,994 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,680,576.02. The trade was a 50.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders have sold 348,618 shares of company stock worth $55,462,643. 0.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Procter & Gamble

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in PG. Cornerstone Planning LLC acquired a new position in Procter & Gamble during the 4th quarter valued at about $3,084,000. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. grew its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 11.5% during the 4th quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 1,109,236 shares of the company’s stock worth $158,965,000 after acquiring an additional 114,301 shares during the period. Lane Brothers & Co. Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble in the 4th quarter valued at $293,000. World Investment Advisors grew its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 15.9% during the fourth quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 105,915 shares of the company’s stock worth $15,179,000 after purchasing an additional 14,492 shares during the period. Finally, Demming Financial Services Corp ADV bought a new stake in Procter & Gamble in the fourth quarter valued at about $256,000. 65.77% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Procter & Gamble Company Profile

Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG) is a multinational consumer goods company headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in 1837 by William Procter and James Gamble, P&G has grown into one of the world’s largest producers of branded consumer packaged goods. The company focuses on developing, manufacturing and marketing a broad portfolio of household and personal care products sold to consumers and retailers worldwide.

P&G’s product offering spans several core business categories, including Beauty, Grooming, Health Care, Fabric & Home Care, and Baby, Feminine & Family Care.