Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. Sells 4,745 Shares of The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG)

Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) by 0.1% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 9,286,466 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 4,745 shares during the quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies were worth $303,110,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Interpublic Group of Companies in the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Authentikos Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new position in Interpublic Group of Companies during the third quarter valued at $33,000. Tobam lifted its position in Interpublic Group of Companies by 2,340.0% during the 4th quarter. Tobam now owns 1,098 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 1,053 shares during the period. First Command Advisory Services Inc. bought a new stake in Interpublic Group of Companies during the third quarter worth about $43,000. Finally, MCF Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Interpublic Group of Companies during the fourth quarter worth about $43,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.43% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Interpublic Group of Companies

In other news, CAO Christopher F. Carroll sold 18,382 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 27th. The shares were 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 approximately $1,364,958. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 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 shares were 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $2,844,870. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CAO Christopher F. Carroll sold 18,382 shares of the 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 directly owns 42,390 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,364,958. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 249,646 shares of company stock worth $8,038,601 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.42% of the company’s stock.

Interpublic Group of Companies Stock Performance

Shares of IPG stock traded up $0.04 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $31.00. The company had a trading volume of 1,828,263 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,971,139. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.06. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $31.66 and a 200-day moving average price of $31.48. The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $27.20 and a one year high of $40.95. The firm has a market cap of $11.70 billion, a PE ratio of 11.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 1.13.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The business services provider reported $0.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.35 by $0.01. Interpublic Group of Companies had a return on equity of 29.70% and a net margin of 9.97%. The firm had revenue of $2.50 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.18 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.38 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. will post 2.78 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Interpublic Group of Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 1st were given a dividend of $0.33 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 29th. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.26%. This is a positive change from Interpublic Group of Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. Interpublic Group of Companies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 46.98%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

IPG has been the subject of several recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from $38.00 to $37.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 9th. UBS Group started coverage on Interpublic Group of Companies in a research report on Thursday, January 11th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $36.00 price target for the company. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from $32.00 to $31.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, January 29th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Interpublic Group of Companies has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $35.13.

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.