Barclays Has Lowered Expectations for Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) Stock Price

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) had its price objective cut by Barclays from $163.00 to $155.00 in a report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an “equal weight” rating on the stock. Barclays‘s target price points to a potential downside of 3.93% from the stock’s current price.

Several other research analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $174.00 to $191.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and set a $164.00 price target on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research report on Monday, October 21st. UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $196.00 to $189.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $186.00 to $181.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $190.00 to $176.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Procter & Gamble has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $179.65.

Procter & Gamble Price Performance

Shares of NYSE PG opened at $161.35 on Friday. Procter & Gamble has a one year low of $146.28 and a one year high of $180.43. The firm has a market cap of $379.98 billion, a PE ratio of 27.82, a PEG ratio of 3.41 and a beta of 0.45. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $169.19 and a 200 day moving average of $169.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a current ratio of 0.75.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last released its earnings results on Friday, October 18th. The company reported $1.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.90 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $21.74 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.99 billion. Procter & Gamble had a net margin of 17.07% and a return on equity of 33.25%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.83 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that Procter & Gamble will post 6.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Procter & Gamble

In other news, insider Balaji Purushothaman sold 12,800 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $172.73, for a total value of $2,210,944.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 11,595 shares in the company, valued at $2,002,804.35. This trade represents a 52.47 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 47,847 shares of Procter & Gamble stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $179.84, for a total value of $8,604,804.48. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 39,977 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,189,463.68. This represents a 54.48 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 75,439 shares of company stock valued at $13,317,460. 0.18% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Procter & Gamble

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. purchased a new stake in Procter & Gamble in the 2nd quarter valued at about $28,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new position in Procter & Gamble in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Quest Partners LLC purchased a new position in Procter & Gamble in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $36,000. Costello Asset Management INC boosted its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 2,142.9% in the 3rd quarter. Costello Asset Management INC now owns 314 shares of the company’s stock worth $54,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares during the period. Finally, William B. Walkup & Associates Inc. purchased a new position in Procter & Gamble in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $58,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.77% of the company’s stock.

About Procter & Gamble

Procter & Gamble Co engages in the provision of branded consumer packaged goods. It operates through the following segments: Beauty, Grooming, Health Care, Fabric and Home Care, and Baby, Feminine and Family Care. The Beauty segment offers hair, skin, and personal care. The Grooming segment consists of shave care like female and male blades and razors, pre and post shave products, and appliances.