Root Financial Partners LLC Reduces Stock Holdings in The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG)

Root Financial Partners LLC decreased its stake in shares of The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) by 22.4% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 2,592 shares of the company’s stock after selling 748 shares during the quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC’s holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $435,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. AMF Tjanstepension AB boosted its position in Procter & Gamble by 416.1% in the third quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB now owns 1,818,490 shares of the company’s stock valued at $315,016,000 after buying an additional 1,466,115 shares during the last quarter. Creative Planning boosted its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 1,393,443 shares of the company’s stock valued at $241,344,000 after acquiring an additional 47,551 shares during the last quarter. Swedbank AB increased its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 3.9% in the third quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 1,503,647 shares of the company’s stock worth $260,432,000 after acquiring an additional 56,583 shares during the period. Indiana Trust & Investment Management Co raised its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 9.8% during the third quarter. Indiana Trust & Investment Management Co now owns 13,227 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,291,000 after purchasing an additional 1,182 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Amplius Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in Procter & Gamble by 2.5% during the third quarter. Amplius Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 5,986 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,037,000 after purchasing an additional 144 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.77% of the company’s stock.

Procter & Gamble Trading Up 0.9 %

Shares of PG opened at $171.15 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $166.83 and its two-hundred day moving average is $169.44. The stock has a market cap of $401.33 billion, a PE ratio of 27.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a quick ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The Procter & Gamble Company has a 52-week low of $153.52 and a 52-week high of $180.43.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 22nd. The company reported $1.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.86 by $0.02. Procter & Gamble had a net margin of 18.35% and a return on equity of 33.00%. The company had revenue of $21.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $21.66 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.84 EPS. Procter & Gamble’s revenue was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Procter & Gamble Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 24th will be paid a dividend of $1.0065 per share. This represents a $4.03 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.35%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 24th. Procter & Gamble’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 64.01%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

PG has been the topic of several analyst reports. Barclays increased their price target on Procter & Gamble from $155.00 to $159.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on Procter & Gamble from $161.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on Procter & Gamble from $186.00 to $181.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. DA Davidson reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $209.00 target price on shares of Procter & Gamble in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $176.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $180.53.

Insider Buying and Selling at Procter & Gamble

In related news, insider Balaji Purushothaman sold 12,800 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 11,595 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,002,804.35. This represents a 52.47 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 47,847 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 39,977 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,189,463.68. The trade was a 54.48 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 151,097 shares of company stock worth $25,635,076 in the last three months. 0.18% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.