Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) Shares Down 0.3%

The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) was down 0.3% during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $174.51 and last traded at $175.35. Approximately 777,714 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 88% from the average daily volume of 6,525,271 shares. The stock had previously closed at $175.88.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have commented on PG shares. 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 target for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $179.00 to $186.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $177.00 to $183.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 18th. Dbs Bank downgraded shares of Procter & Gamble from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Procter & Gamble from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $176.16.

Procter & Gamble Stock Down 1.4 %

The company has a current ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. The company has a market capitalization of $404.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.03, a PEG ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.41. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $170.06 and its 200-day simple moving average is $165.59.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 30th. The company reported $1.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.37 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $20.53 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $20.69 billion. Procter & Gamble had a net margin of 17.71% and a return on equity of 33.46%. Procter & Gamble’s revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.37 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Procter & Gamble Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 19th were paid a $1.0065 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, July 19th. This represents a $4.03 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.35%. Procter & Gamble’s dividend payout ratio is currently 65.85%.

Insider Transactions at Procter & Gamble

In other news, CEO Jon R. Moeller sold 37,240 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $168.89, for a total transaction of $6,289,463.60. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 263,537 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $44,508,763.93. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, CEO Ma. Fatima Francisco sold 96,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total value of $16,320,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 13,721 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,332,570. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Jon R. Moeller sold 37,240 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $168.89, for a total transaction of $6,289,463.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 263,537 shares in the company, valued at $44,508,763.93. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 375,553 shares of company stock valued at $63,829,141 in the last ninety days. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Procter & Gamble

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in PG. Gilbert & Cook Inc. lifted its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 7.7% in the 4th quarter. Gilbert & Cook Inc. now owns 17,215 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,523,000 after purchasing an additional 1,237 shares in the last quarter. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 8.2% in the 4th quarter. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC now owns 84,360 shares of the company’s stock valued at $12,341,000 after purchasing an additional 6,390 shares in the last quarter. Tidemark LLC purchased a new position in Procter & Gamble in the 4th quarter valued at about $131,000. BlackDiamond Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 13.6% in the 4th quarter. BlackDiamond Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,750 shares of the company’s stock valued at $277,000 after purchasing an additional 209 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 634,973 shares of the company’s stock valued at $93,049,000 after purchasing an additional 5,726 shares in the last quarter. 65.77% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Procter & Gamble Company 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.