Svenska Handelsbanken AB publ Invests $24.34 Million in The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG)

Svenska Handelsbanken AB publ bought a new position in shares of The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) in the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund bought 150,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $24,338,000. Procter & Gamble makes up approximately 7.7% of Svenska Handelsbanken AB publ’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 8th biggest holding.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in PG. Advantage Trust Co purchased a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble in the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Naples Money Management LLC acquired a new position in Procter & Gamble in the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Wyrmwood Management LLC purchased a new position in Procter & Gamble during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Transcendent Capital Group LLC acquired a new stake in Procter & Gamble during the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Procter & Gamble in the fourth quarter valued at $33,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.77% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Procter & Gamble

In related news, insider Balaji Purushothaman sold 28,369 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.49, for a total value of $4,581,309.81. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 11,507 shares in the company, valued at $1,858,265.43. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other Procter & Gamble news, insider Balaji Purushothaman sold 28,369 shares of Procter & Gamble stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.49, for a total transaction of $4,581,309.81. Following the sale, the insider now owns 11,507 shares in the company, valued at $1,858,265.43. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 21,388 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.98, for a total transaction of $3,528,592.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 36,854 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,080,172.92. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 154,544 shares of company stock worth $25,413,051. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Procter & Gamble Trading Down 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE:PG opened at $163.76 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a current ratio of 0.69. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $165.70 and its 200-day moving average is $159.15. The company has a market cap of $386.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.76, a P/E/G ratio of 3.13 and a beta of 0.41. The Procter & Gamble Company has a 52-week low of $141.45 and a 52-week high of $169.41.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last released its earnings results on Friday, April 19th. The company reported $1.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.42 by $0.10. Procter & Gamble had a return on equity of 33.91% and a net margin of 18.00%. The firm had revenue of $20.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.43 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.37 EPS. The company’s revenue was up .6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Procter & Gamble Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 19th were issued a $1.0065 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 18th. This is an increase from Procter & Gamble’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.94. This represents a $4.03 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.46%. Procter & Gamble’s dividend payout ratio is 65.69%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. BNP Paribas started coverage on Procter & Gamble in a report on Monday, June 24th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $187.00 price target on the stock. StockNews.com raised Procter & Gamble from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 25th. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $168.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $175.00 to $182.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, April 22nd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $172.00 to $171.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 22nd. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $170.72.

Procter & Gamble Profile

The Procter & Gamble Company provides branded consumer packaged goods worldwide. It operates through five segments: Beauty; Grooming; Health Care; Fabric & Home Care; and Baby, Feminine & Family Care. The Beauty segment offers conditioners, shampoos, styling aids, and treatments under the Head & Shoulders, Herbal Essences, Pantene, and Rejoice brands; and antiperspirants and deodorants, personal cleansing, and skin care products under the Olay, Old Spice, Safeguard, Secret, and SK-II brands.