Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) Announces Earnings Results

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) announced its earnings results on Wednesday. The business services provider reported $1.11 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.15 by ($0.04), Zacks reports. Interpublic Group of Companies had a net margin of 7.44% and a return on equity of 27.76%.

Interpublic Group of Companies Trading Up 0.8 %

Shares of IPG traded up $0.22 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $27.18. The stock had a trading volume of 1,290,359 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,925,513. Interpublic Group of Companies has a 12-month low of $26.30 and a 12-month high of $35.17. The firm has a market cap of $10.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.82 and a beta of 1.11. 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 company’s fifty day simple moving average is $28.35 and its 200 day simple moving average is $29.88.

Interpublic Group of Companies Announces Dividend

The company 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 $0.33 dividend. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.86%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. Interpublic Group of Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 62.26%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

IPG has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Macquarie reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $31.00 target price on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. StockNews.com initiated coverage on Interpublic Group of Companies in a research note on Thursday. They set a “hold” rating on the stock. BNP Paribas raised Interpublic Group of Companies from an “underperform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $38.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Interpublic Group of Companies from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $32.00 to $39.00 in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Barclays raised Interpublic Group of Companies from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $32.00 to $36.00 in a research note on Friday, January 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $33.50.

Interpublic Group of Companies declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, February 12th that permits the company to repurchase $155.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the business services provider to purchase up to 1.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are often a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

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.