ING Groep NV Has $1.33 Million Holdings in The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG)

ING Groep NV reduced its stake in The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) by 5.3% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 47,577 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 2,655 shares during the quarter. ING Groep NV’s holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies were worth $1,333,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of IPG. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Interpublic Group of Companies in the third quarter valued at $26,000. Allworth Financial LP grew its holdings in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 75.8% in the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,113 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 480 shares during the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies during the 3rd quarter worth about $32,000. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies during the 3rd quarter worth about $60,000. Finally, Transamerica Financial Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies by 243,700.0% during the 3rd quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 2,438 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $78,000 after purchasing an additional 2,437 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 98.43% of the company’s stock.

Interpublic Group of Companies Trading Down 1.8 %

IPG stock opened at $27.08 on Monday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $28.03 and a 200-day moving average of $29.72. The company has a market cap of $10.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.80 and a beta of 1.11. The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $26.30 and a twelve month high of $35.17. The company has a quick ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The business services provider reported $1.11 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.15 by ($0.04). Interpublic Group of Companies had a return on equity of 27.10% and a net margin of 6.45%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. will post 2.66 EPS for the current year.

Interpublic Group of Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd will be issued a $0.33 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.88%. Interpublic Group of Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 72.13%.

Interpublic Group of Companies announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, February 12th that allows the company to buyback $155.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization allows the business services provider to reacquire up to 1.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently weighed in on IPG. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $26.00 to $34.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Interpublic Group of Companies from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price target for the company from $32.00 to $39.00 in a report on Monday, January 27th. Barclays upgraded Interpublic Group of Companies from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $32.00 to $36.00 in a research report on Friday, January 24th. UBS Group upgraded Interpublic Group of Companies from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $29.00 to $27.00 in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, StockNews.com started coverage on Interpublic Group of Companies in a report on Friday. They issued a “hold” rating for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $33.50.

Interpublic Group of Companies Profile

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.