Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC Purchases 2,428 Shares of The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG)

Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC raised its position in The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) by 5.0% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 50,592 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,428 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC’s holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $8,209,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of PG. Benchmark Financial Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Procter & Gamble during the 1st quarter worth $271,000. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System lifted its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 0.6% during the 1st quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System now owns 184,259 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,785,000 after acquiring an additional 1,067 shares during the last quarter. BetterWealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Procter & Gamble during the 1st quarter worth $206,000. Cohen Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 10.2% during the 1st quarter. Cohen Investment Advisors LLC now owns 19,484 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,161,000 after acquiring an additional 1,798 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kesler Norman & Wride LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 1.6% during the 1st quarter. Kesler Norman & Wride LLC now owns 44,946 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,293,000 after acquiring an additional 702 shares during the last quarter. 65.77% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Procter & Gamble Trading Up 0.8 %

Shares of PG opened at $165.21 on Friday. The Procter & Gamble Company has a 1-year low of $141.45 and a 1-year high of $169.41. The company has a current ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $165.82 and its 200-day moving average price is $159.35. The firm has a market capitalization of $389.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.00, a PEG ratio of 3.13 and a beta of 0.41.

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

Procter & Gamble Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Investors of record on Friday, April 19th were paid a dividend of $1.0065 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 18th. This represents a $4.03 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.44%. This is a positive change from Procter & Gamble’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.94. Procter & Gamble’s payout ratio is presently 65.85%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Sundar G. Raman sold 31,924 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $166.95, for a total value of $5,329,711.80. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 19,042 shares in the company, valued at $3,179,061.90. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In other news, CEO R. Alexandra Keith sold 855 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $158.50, for a total value of $135,517.50. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 4,004 shares in the company, valued at $634,634. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Sundar G. Raman sold 31,924 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $166.95, for a total transaction of $5,329,711.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 19,042 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,179,061.90. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 154,544 shares of company stock valued at $25,413,051 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on PG. BNP Paribas started coverage on shares of Procter & Gamble in a report on Monday, June 24th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $187.00 price objective for the company. Truist Financial upgraded shares of Procter & Gamble from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $160.00 to $175.00 in a research report on Monday, March 11th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $172.00 to $171.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 22nd. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Procter & Gamble from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 25th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $175.00 to $182.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, April 22nd. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Procter & Gamble has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $170.72.

About Procter & Gamble

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.