Procter & Gamble Company (The) $PG Stock: Russell Investments Group Ltd. Trims Holdings

Russell Investments Group Ltd. decreased its stake in Procter & Gamble Company (The) (NYSE:PG) by 20.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,453,244 shares of the company’s stock after selling 367,911 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd.’s holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $211,379,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Procter & Gamble during the second quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Montgomery Financial Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Paladin Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Toews Corp ADV acquired a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $37,000. Finally, Evergreen Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Procter & Gamble during the 1st quarter worth approximately $37,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.77% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on PG shares. Citigroup increased their price objective on Procter & Gamble from $180.00 to $187.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 23rd. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $152.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, October 26th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $166.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, October 23rd. BNP Paribas Exane upped their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $177.00 to $189.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 23rd. Finally, Freedom Broker upgraded shares of Procter & Gamble from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $176.00 price target for the company in a research note on Friday, October 23rd. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Procter & Gamble currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $170.57.

Procter & Gamble Trading Up 0.2%

Procter & Gamble stock opened at $168.02 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $153.80 and a 200 day simple moving average of $149.82. The stock has a market capitalization of $389.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.30, a PEG ratio of 4.12 and a beta of 0.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 0.72. Procter & Gamble Company has a 52 week low of $137.62 and a 52 week high of $170.52.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 22nd. The company reported $2.00 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.89 by $0.11. Procter & Gamble had a return on equity of 31.02% and a net margin of 18.23%. The firm had revenue of $23.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.80 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.99 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.99 earnings per share for the current year.

Procter & Gamble Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 16th. Investors of record on Friday, October 23rd will be paid a $1.0885 dividend. This represents a $4.35 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 23rd. Procter & Gamble’s dividend payout ratio is 65.51%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Procter & Gamble

In other Procter & Gamble news, CAO Matthew Janzaruk sold 9,479 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $163.00, for a total transaction of $1,545,077.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 1,271 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $207,173. This trade represents a 88.18% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Victor Aguilar sold 18,812 shares of Procter & Gamble stock in a transaction on Friday, October 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.43, for a total transaction of $3,093,257.16. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 55,243 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,083,606.49. This trade represents a 25.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 200,006 shares of company stock worth $32,715,058. 0.23% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Procter & Gamble News Summary

These are some of the PG news items that stood out recently:

• Positive Sentiment: Commentary highlights P&G’s essential household brands, strong cash generation and a 70-year streak of dividend increases; one article cited a recent yield of about 2.6%. These qualities may appeal to income-focused investors. Article: Procter & Gamble Has Raised Its Dividend for 70 Straight Years
• Neutral Sentiment: A valuation analysis questions whether P&G’s share price is supported by future cash flows, noting its 29.7% five-year return. The article raises a valuation question rather than offering a clear near-term catalyst. Article: Is Procter & Gamble Worth More Than Its Price Today?
• Negative Sentiment: One market commentator preferred Nvidia to P&G, citing P&G’s roughly 23-times earnings valuation. That comparison may weigh on sentiment among investors seeking cheaper growth opportunities. Article: Nvidia at 11X Earnings?

About Procter & Gamble

The Procter & Gamble Company is a consumer goods company that develops, manufactures and markets products for everyday use. Founded in 1837 by William Procter and James Gamble, the company is headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. Its products span beauty, grooming, health care, fabric and home care, and baby, feminine and family care. Well-known brands include Tide, Pampers, Gillette, Pantene, Olay, Oral-B, Crest, Dawn, Charmin and Bounty. Procter & Gamble sells its products in markets around the world through retail stores, e-commerce platforms and other distribution channels.