Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) Releases Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.01 EPS

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) posted its earnings results on Wednesday. The business services provider reported $0.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.35 by $0.01, RTT News reports. Interpublic Group of Companies had a return on equity of 30.52% and a net margin of 10.09%. The business had revenue of $2.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.18 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.38 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year.

Interpublic Group of Companies Stock Performance

Shares of Interpublic Group of Companies stock opened at $30.99 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $11.69 billion, a PE ratio of 10.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.13. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $31.94 and a 200-day simple moving average of $31.35. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73. Interpublic Group of Companies has a 12 month low of $27.20 and a 12 month high of $40.95.

Interpublic Group of Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 1st were given a $0.33 dividend. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.26%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 29th. This is a boost from Interpublic Group of Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. Interpublic Group of Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 46.32%.

Insider Transactions at Interpublic Group of Companies

In related news, CAO Christopher F. Carroll sold 18,382 shares of Interpublic Group of Companies stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.20, for a total transaction of $591,900.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 42,390 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,364,958. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other Interpublic Group of Companies news, CAO Christopher F. Carroll sold 18,382 shares of the firm’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 $591,900.40. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 42,390 shares in the company, valued at $1,364,958. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Ellen Tobi Johnson sold 40,393 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.20, for a total value of $1,300,654.60. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 88,350 shares in the company, valued at $2,844,870. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 249,646 shares of company stock valued at $8,038,601 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.42% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on IPG. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price 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. UBS Group initiated coverage on Interpublic Group of Companies in a report on Thursday, January 11th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $36.00 price target for the company. Barclays increased their price target on Interpublic Group of Companies from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, January 29th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Interpublic Group of Companies from $31.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, February 9th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Interpublic Group of Companies presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $35.25.

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.