Flputnam Investment Management Co. Boosts Stake in The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG)

Flputnam Investment Management Co. raised its position in The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) by 73.8% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 30,254 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 12,845 shares during the period. Flputnam Investment Management Co.’s holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies were worth $988,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Interpublic Group of Companies by 2.3% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 47,707,617 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,691,233,000 after buying an additional 1,075,059 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 1.1% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 21,132,312 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $540,987,000 after acquiring an additional 226,086 shares during the period. Black Creek Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 14.1% in the third quarter. Black Creek Investment Management Inc. now owns 9,722,563 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $278,649,000 after acquiring an additional 1,204,630 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 1.8% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 9,291,211 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $266,286,000 after acquiring an additional 167,810 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 1.6% in the first quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 8,428,989 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $314,227,000 after acquiring an additional 133,527 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.43% of the company’s stock.

Interpublic Group of Companies Stock Down 0.3 %

IPG opened at $30.27 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $11.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.62, a P/E/G ratio of 2.08 and a beta of 1.13. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $32.01 and its 200-day moving average price is $31.27. The company has a current ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73. The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $27.20 and a 12 month high of $40.95.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 8th. The business services provider reported $1.18 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.16 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $2.59 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.57 billion. Interpublic Group of Companies had a return on equity of 30.52% and a net margin of 10.09%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.02 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. will post 2.78 EPS for the current year.

Interpublic Group of Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Investors of record on Friday, March 1st were issued a dividend of $0.33 per share. This represents a $1.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.36%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 29th. This is an increase from Interpublic Group of Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. Interpublic Group of Companies’s payout ratio is currently 46.32%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Barclays lifted their price objective on Interpublic Group of Companies from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 29th. UBS Group assumed coverage on Interpublic Group of Companies in a research note on Thursday, January 11th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $36.00 price objective for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Interpublic Group of Companies from $38.00 to $37.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 9th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Interpublic Group of Companies from $31.00 to $32.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 9th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Interpublic Group of Companies presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $35.25.

Insider Activity at Interpublic Group of Companies

In related news, CFO Ellen Tobi Johnson sold 40,393 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.20, for a total transaction of $1,300,654.60. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 88,350 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,844,870. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Interpublic Group of Companies news, CFO Ellen Tobi Johnson sold 40,393 shares of Interpublic Group of Companies stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.20, for a total transaction of $1,300,654.60. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 88,350 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,844,870. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Philippe Krakowsky sold 150,403 shares of Interpublic Group of Companies stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.20, for a total value of $4,842,976.60. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 415,776 shares in the company, valued at $13,387,987.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 249,646 shares of company stock worth $8,038,601 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.

About Interpublic Group of Companies

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.