The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) Shares Sold by Tufton Capital Management

Tufton Capital Management lessened its stake in The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) by 3.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 65,594 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,995 shares during the quarter. Procter & Gamble makes up approximately 2.0% of Tufton Capital Management’s holdings, making the stock its 11th biggest holding. Tufton Capital Management’s holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $9,612,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of PG. Emerald Advisors LLC increased its position in Procter & Gamble by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. Emerald Advisors LLC now owns 3,775 shares of the company’s stock worth $553,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the period. O Brien Wealth Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 3.3% during the 4th quarter. O Brien Wealth Partners LLC now owns 2,062 shares of the company’s stock worth $302,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the period. KFA Private Wealth Group LLC raised its position in shares of Procter & Gamble by 2.2% during the third quarter. KFA Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 3,054 shares of the company’s stock valued at $445,000 after buying an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. Chemistry Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Chemistry Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,839 shares of the company’s stock valued at $856,000 after buying an additional 67 shares during the period. Finally, Watchman Group Inc. grew its position in Procter & Gamble by 0.4% during the third quarter. Watchman Group Inc. now owns 18,052 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,633,000 after buying an additional 68 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 65.77% of the company’s stock.

Procter & Gamble Price Performance

PG stock traded up $0.57 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $156.52. 2,162,039 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,785,568. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The company has a market cap of $368.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.29, a PEG ratio of 3.19 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $159.16 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $152.80. The Procter & Gamble Company has a 1-year low of $141.45 and a 1-year high of $163.14.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, January 23rd. The company reported $1.84 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.70 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $21.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.48 billion. Procter & Gamble had a return on equity of 34.04% and a net margin of 17.60%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.59 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Procter & Gamble Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 19th will be given a dividend of $1.0065 per share. This represents a $4.03 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.57%. This is a positive change from Procter & Gamble’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.94. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 18th. Procter & Gamble’s dividend payout ratio is presently 62.98%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Susan Street Whaley sold 3,865 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.60, for a total value of $620,719.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 11,886 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,908,891.60. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, insider Susan Street Whaley sold 3,865 shares of Procter & Gamble stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.60, for a total value of $620,719.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 11,886 shares in the company, valued at $1,908,891.60. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Marc S. Pritchard sold 101,704 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $153.57, for a total value of $15,618,683.28. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 163,428 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $25,097,637.96. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 279,063 shares of company stock valued at $43,187,745 over the last three months. 0.17% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have commented on PG shares. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on Procter & Gamble from $155.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Procter & Gamble from $169.00 to $162.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 18th. Raymond James boosted their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $170.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 24th. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $165.00 to $168.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, April 12th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $156.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 24th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $168.53.

Procter & Gamble Profile

The Procter & Gamble Company provides branded consumer packaged goods worldwide. It operates through five segments: Beauty; Grooming; Health Care; Fabric & Home Care; and Baby, Feminine & Family Care. The Beauty segment offers conditioners, shampoos, styling aids, and treatments under the Head & Shoulders, Herbal Essences, Pantene, and Rejoice brands; and antiperspirants and deodorants, personal cleansing, and skin care products under the Olay, Old Spice, Safeguard, Secret, and SK-II brands.