Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) Now Covered by Analysts at StockNews.com

StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) in a research report issued on Monday. The firm set a “hold” rating on the business services provider’s stock.

IPG has been the topic of a number of other reports. Barclays upgraded shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price target for the company from $32.00 to $36.00 in a research note on Friday, January 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their target price for the company from $32.00 to $39.00 in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $26.00 to $34.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. BNP Paribas raised Interpublic Group of Companies from an “underperform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $38.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, Argus cut Interpublic Group of Companies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Interpublic Group of Companies currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $33.50.

Interpublic Group of Companies Stock Up 1.4 %

Shares of IPG opened at $26.59 on Monday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $27.57 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $29.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.09 and a quick ratio of 1.09. Interpublic Group of Companies has a one year low of $25.85 and a one year high of $33.29. The company has a market cap of $9.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.53 and a beta of 1.14.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The business services provider reported $1.11 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.15 by ($0.04). Interpublic Group of Companies had a return on equity of 27.10% and a net margin of 6.45%. Research analysts forecast that Interpublic Group of Companies will post 2.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Interpublic Group of Companies declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback program on Wednesday, February 12th that authorizes the company to buyback $155.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the business services provider to purchase up to 1.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Interpublic Group of Companies news, CFO Ellen Tobi Johnson sold 21,427 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.82, for a total transaction of $574,672.14. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 143,373 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,845,263.86. This trade represents a 13.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.42% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Interpublic Group of Companies

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. State Street Corp raised its stake in Interpublic Group of Companies by 15.1% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 29,844,859 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $943,993,000 after buying an additional 3,920,975 shares during the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. grew its holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies by 3.0% during the 4th quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 42,496 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,191,000 after acquiring an additional 1,238 shares during the period. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC raised its position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 240.9% in the 3rd quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 28,862 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $913,000 after acquiring an additional 20,395 shares in the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 69.5% in the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 7,294 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $204,000 after purchasing an additional 2,991 shares during the period. Finally, ING Groep NV acquired a new position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,589,000. 98.43% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Interpublic Group of Companies Company Profile

The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc provides advertising and marketing services worldwide. It operates in three segments: Media, Data & Engagement Solutions, Integrated Advertising & Creativity Led Solutions, and Specialized Communications & Experiential Solutions. The Media, Data & Engagement Solutions segment provides media and communications services, digital services and products, advertising and marketing technology, e-commerce services, data management and analytics, strategic consulting, and digital brand experience under the IPG Mediabrands, UM, Initiative, Kinesso, Acxiom, Huge, MRM, and R/GA brand names.