Brown Financial Advisors Increases Stock Holdings in The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG)

Brown Financial Advisors lifted its stake in shares of The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) by 7.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 16,256 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,117 shares during the quarter. Brown Financial Advisors’ holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies were worth $455,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of IPG. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Interpublic Group of Companies during the third quarter worth about $26,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in the third quarter valued at $32,000. Allworth Financial LP lifted its holdings in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 75.8% during the 4th 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. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in the 3rd quarter valued at $60,000. Finally, Transamerica Financial Advisors Inc. grew its position in Interpublic Group of Companies by 243,700.0% during the third quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 2,438 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $78,000 after acquiring an additional 2,437 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.43% of the company’s stock.

Interpublic Group of Companies Price Performance

IPG stock opened at $27.56 on Tuesday. The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $26.30 and a one year high of $35.17. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $28.03 and a two-hundred day moving average of $29.72. The company has a current ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.27 billion, a PE ratio of 15.06 and a beta of 1.11.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The business services provider reported $1.11 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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%. On average, analysts forecast that The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. will post 2.66 earnings per share for the current year.

Interpublic Group of Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be paid a $0.33 dividend. This represents a $1.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.79%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. Interpublic Group of Companies’s payout ratio is 72.13%.

Interpublic Group of Companies announced that its board has initiated a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, February 12th that authorizes the company to repurchase $155.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the business services provider to purchase up to 1.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are generally a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently issued reports on IPG. Argus downgraded Interpublic Group of Companies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Interpublic Group of Companies from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and increased their target price for the company from $26.00 to $34.00 in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Barclays upgraded Interpublic Group of Companies from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $32.00 to $36.00 in a report on Friday, January 24th. StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in a research report on Friday. They issued a “hold” rating for the company. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $32.00 to $39.00 in a research report on Monday, January 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $33.50.

Interpublic Group of Companies 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.