Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) Shares Up 0.3% – Time to Buy?

The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG)’s stock price traded up 0.3% during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $161.82 and last traded at $161.74. 1,080,421 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 81% from the average session volume of 5,758,082 shares. The stock had previously closed at $161.30.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Procter & Gamble from $190.00 to $176.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on Procter & Gamble from $180.00 to $183.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $179.00 to $186.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, September 19th. Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $164.00 price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble in a report on Monday, October 21st. Finally, DA Davidson reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $209.00 price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble in a report on Friday, December 27th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $179.75.

Procter & Gamble Stock Down 2.1 %

The company has a quick ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The company has a market cap of $373.82 billion, a PE ratio of 27.37, a P/E/G ratio of 3.70 and a beta of 0.45. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $169.64 and its 200-day simple moving average is $169.57.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, October 18th. The company reported $1.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.90 by $0.03. Procter & Gamble had a net margin of 17.07% and a return on equity of 33.25%. The company had revenue of $21.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $21.99 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.83 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down .6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts expect that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Procter & Gamble news, insider Balaji Purushothaman sold 12,800 shares of Procter & Gamble stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $172.73, for a total value of $2,210,944.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 11,595 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,002,804.35. The trade was a 52.47 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO R. Alexandra Keith sold 1,992 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total transaction of $338,640.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 13,783 shares in the company, valued at $2,343,110. This trade represents a 12.63 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 75,439 shares of company stock valued at $13,317,460 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of PG. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. purchased a new position in Procter & Gamble during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Fairway Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Procter & Gamble in the second quarter worth approximately $29,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble during the 3rd quarter valued at about $33,000. Quest Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Procter & Gamble in the second quarter worth $36,000. Finally, Fairfield Financial Advisors LTD acquired a new stake in shares of Procter & Gamble in the second quarter valued at about $44,000. Institutional investors own 65.77% of the company’s stock.

About Procter & Gamble

Procter & Gamble Co engages in the provision of branded consumer packaged goods. It operates through the following segments: Beauty, Grooming, Health Care, Fabric and Home Care, and Baby, Feminine and Family Care. The Beauty segment offers hair, skin, and personal care. The Grooming segment consists of shave care like female and male blades and razors, pre and post shave products, and appliances.