HighMark Wealth Management LLC Sells 1,566 Shares of The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG)

HighMark Wealth Management LLC decreased its position in shares of The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) by 30.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 3,523 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,566 shares during the period. Procter & Gamble accounts for 0.3% of HighMark Wealth Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 29th biggest holding. HighMark Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $591,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of PG. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in Procter & Gamble by 4.5% during the 3rd quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 94,109 shares of the company’s stock valued at $16,300,000 after purchasing an additional 4,035 shares during the last quarter. Strategic Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Procter & Gamble by 3.4% during the fourth quarter. Strategic Advisors LLC now owns 55,912 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,374,000 after buying an additional 1,818 shares during the last quarter. Copley Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Procter & Gamble in the third quarter valued at about $668,000. Fortem Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in Procter & Gamble during the fourth quarter worth about $569,000. Finally, Richard C. Young & CO. LTD. increased its stake in Procter & Gamble by 2.1% during the fourth quarter. Richard C. Young & CO. LTD. now owns 123,853 shares of the company’s stock valued at $20,764,000 after acquiring an additional 2,568 shares during the period. 65.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Procter & Gamble Stock Performance

Shares of PG opened at $162.84 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $166.51 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $169.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a current ratio of 0.76. The Procter & Gamble Company has a twelve month low of $153.52 and a twelve month high of $180.43. The firm has a market cap of $381.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.93, a PEG ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 0.45.

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

Procter & Gamble Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 24th will be paid a $1.0065 dividend. This represents a $4.03 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.47%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 24th. Procter & Gamble’s payout ratio is 64.17%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

PG has been the topic of several recent research reports. UBS Group decreased their price objective on Procter & Gamble from $196.00 to $189.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $186.00 to $181.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $180.00 to $183.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $174.00 to $191.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Procter & Gamble from $176.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Procter & Gamble presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $180.53.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Procter & Gamble news, insider Balaji Purushothaman sold 12,800 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $172.73, for a total transaction of $2,210,944.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 11,595 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,002,804.35. The trade was a 52.47 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Marc S. Pritchard sold 90,450 shares of Procter & Gamble stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $163.84, for a total value of $14,819,328.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 172,814 shares in the company, valued at approximately $28,313,845.76. This represents a 34.36 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 151,097 shares of company stock valued at $25,635,076 in the last quarter. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by 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.