Traders Buy High Volume of Procter & Gamble Call Options (NYSE:PG)

Procter & Gamble Company (The) (NYSE:PG) saw some unusual options trading activity on Tuesday. Investors acquired 42,018 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of 77% compared to the typical volume of 23,713 call options.

Procter & Gamble Stock Performance

Shares of PG opened at $147.45 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 0.73. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $146.10 and a two-hundred day moving average of $148.17. The stock has a market cap of $343.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.56, a P/E/G ratio of 6.38 and a beta of 0.39. Procter & Gamble has a one year low of $137.62 and a one year high of $167.25.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 24th. The company reported $1.59 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.56 by $0.03. Procter & Gamble had a return on equity of 32.00% and a net margin of 19.16%.The business had revenue of $21.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.52 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.54 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. Procter & Gamble has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.830-7.090 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Procter & Gamble will post 6.9 EPS for the current year.

Procter & Gamble Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 24th were given a dividend of $1.0885 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, April 24th. This represents a $4.35 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.0%. This is a boost from Procter & Gamble’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.06. Procter & Gamble’s payout ratio is 63.60%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

PG has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Erste Group Bank downgraded Procter & Gamble from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 24th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. Sanford C. Bernstein began coverage on Procter & Gamble in a research note on Thursday, June 11th. They set a “market perform” rating and a $156.00 target price on the stock. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on Procter & Gamble from $169.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday. Finally, Bank of America decreased their price target on Procter & Gamble from $171.00 to $167.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Procter & Gamble presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $161.47.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in PG. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. grew its position in Procter & Gamble by 1,000.0% during the 4th quarter. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. now owns 165 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares during the period. Park Square Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 65.1% during the fourth quarter. Park Square Financial Group LLC now owns 180 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares during the period. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. raised its position in Procter & Gamble by 1,315.4% during the fourth quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. now owns 184 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 171 shares in the last quarter. Litman Gregory Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Procter & Gamble during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Finally, Maseco LLP purchased a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.77% of the company’s stock.

About Procter & Gamble

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.