Sunbelt Securities Inc. Acquires 18,946 Shares of The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG)

Sunbelt Securities Inc. lifted its stake in The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) by 38.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 68,397 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 18,946 shares during the period. Procter & Gamble accounts for approximately 1.0% of Sunbelt Securities Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 15th largest holding. Sunbelt Securities Inc.’s holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $11,428,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in PG. NewSquare Capital LLC raised its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 933.3% in the fourth quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 155 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares during the period. Navigoe LLC bought a new stake in shares of Procter & Gamble in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Hoey Investments Inc. raised its stake in Procter & Gamble by 321.7% during the 4th quarter. Hoey Investments Inc. now owns 194 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 148 shares during the period. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA acquired a new stake in Procter & Gamble during the 4th quarter worth $34,000. Finally, 10Elms LLP bought a new position in Procter & Gamble during the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. 65.77% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 35,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $173.68, for a total value of $6,078,800.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 22,051 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,829,817.68. This represents a 61.35% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Moses Victor Javier Aguilar sold 10,520 shares of Procter & Gamble stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $158.67, for a total value of $1,669,208.40. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 25,182 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,995,627.94. The trade was a 29.47% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 64,520 shares of company stock valued at $10,999,268 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Procter & Gamble Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE PG opened at $165.05 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a current ratio of 0.76. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $164.22 and a 200 day moving average price of $167.29. The stock has a market capitalization of $386.97 billion, a PE ratio of 26.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.41. The Procter & Gamble Company has a 52 week low of $156.58 and a 52 week high of $180.43.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $1.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.53 by $0.01. Procter & Gamble had a return on equity of 33.00% and a net margin of 18.35%. The company had revenue of $19.78 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $20.42 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.52 EPS. The business’s revenue was down 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Procter & Gamble Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 21st were paid a $1.0568 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, April 21st. This represents a $4.23 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.56%. This is a boost from Procter & Gamble’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.01. Procter & Gamble’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 66.98%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have issued reports on PG. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on Procter & Gamble from $161.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Erste Group Bank cut Procter & Gamble from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Raymond James dropped their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $190.00 to $185.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 25th. Morgan Stanley set a $180.00 price target on shares of Procter & Gamble and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $181.00 to $172.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Procter & Gamble currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $178.52.

Procter & Gamble Profile

Procter & Gamble Co engages in the provision of branded consumer packaged goods. It operates through the following segments: Beauty, Grooming, Health Care, Fabric and Home Care, and Baby, Feminine and Family Care. The Beauty segment offers hair, skin, and personal care. The Grooming segment consists of shave care like female and male blades and razors, pre and post shave products, and appliances.