Procter & Gamble Company (The) $PG Shares Sold by Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA

Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA lessened its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble Company (The) (NYSE:PG) by 3.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 179,069 shares of the company’s stock after selling 5,752 shares during the quarter. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA’s holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $25,662,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble in the second quarter worth about $5,099,644,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Procter & Gamble by 15,971.7% in the 2nd quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 7,012,744 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,117,270,000 after purchasing an additional 6,969,110 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 21.4% during the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 16,374,499 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,608,785,000 after purchasing an additional 2,880,895 shares during the last quarter. Amundi increased its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 26.3% in the third quarter. Amundi now owns 10,682,455 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,606,748,000 after purchasing an additional 2,222,560 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Lazard Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Procter & Gamble by 66.3% during the second quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 5,504,749 shares of the company’s stock worth $877,014,000 after buying an additional 2,195,560 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.77% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Procter & Gamble

In related news, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 36,093 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $162.33, for a total transaction of $5,858,976.69. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 34,994 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,680,576.02. This represents a 50.77% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Marc S. Pritchard sold 95,903 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $151.15, for a total value of $14,495,738.45. Following the transaction, the insider owned 182,607 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $27,601,048.05. This trade represents a 34.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 348,618 shares of company stock valued at $55,462,643 over the last ninety days. 0.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

PG has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Jefferies Financial Group raised Procter & Gamble from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $156.00 to $179.00 in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Procter & Gamble in a report on Monday, December 29th. Dbs Bank raised shares of Procter & Gamble from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $177.00 target price on shares of Procter & Gamble in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $161.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Procter & Gamble presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $168.33.

Procter & Gamble Stock Down 1.2%

Shares of PG opened at $144.89 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $154.02 and its 200 day moving average price is $150.82. Procter & Gamble Company has a 12-month low of $137.62 and a 12-month high of $174.80. The company has a current ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49. The firm has a market cap of $336.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.90 and a beta of 0.37.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 23rd. The company reported $1.88 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.86 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $22.21 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $22.36 billion. Procter & Gamble had a net margin of 19.30% and a return on equity of 32.21%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.88 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Procter & Gamble Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 23rd were given a $1.0568 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 23rd. This represents a $4.23 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.9%. Procter & Gamble’s payout ratio is presently 62.52%.

About Procter & Gamble

Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG) is a multinational consumer goods company headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in 1837 by William Procter and James Gamble, P&G has grown into one of the world’s largest producers of branded consumer packaged goods. The company focuses on developing, manufacturing and marketing a broad portfolio of household and personal care products sold to consumers and retailers worldwide.

P&G’s product offering spans several core business categories, including Beauty, Grooming, Health Care, Fabric & Home Care, and Baby, Feminine & Family Care.