53,405 Shares in The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) Purchased by Generali Asset Management SPA SGR

Generali Asset Management SPA SGR acquired a new position in shares of The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 53,405 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,496,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. West Oak Capital LLC increased its position in Interpublic Group of Companies by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. West Oak Capital LLC now owns 55,595 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,558,000 after purchasing an additional 435 shares in the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP increased its position in Interpublic Group of Companies by 75.8% during the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,113 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 480 shares in the last quarter. Proactive Wealth Strategies LLC increased its position in Interpublic Group of Companies by 5.8% during the 4th quarter. Proactive Wealth Strategies LLC now owns 11,094 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $311,000 after purchasing an additional 607 shares in the last quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in Interpublic Group of Companies by 5.8% in the 4th quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 11,507 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $322,000 after buying an additional 630 shares during the last quarter. Finally, International Private Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Interpublic Group of Companies by 7.2% in the 4th quarter. International Private Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 9,422 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $264,000 after buying an additional 635 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.43% of the company’s stock.

Interpublic Group of Companies Stock Performance

NYSE IPG opened at $26.45 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.45 and a beta of 1.14. The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $25.85 and a 1-year high of $33.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.09 and a quick ratio of 1.09. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $27.53 and its 200-day simple moving average is $29.16.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The business services provider reported $1.11 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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%. Equities analysts predict that The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. will post 2.66 EPS for the current year.

Interpublic Group of Companies announced that its board has initiated a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, February 12th that allows the company to buyback $155.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the business services provider to repurchase up to 1.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Interpublic Group of Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a dividend of $0.33 per share. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.99%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. Interpublic Group of Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 72.13%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Ellen Tobi Johnson sold 21,427 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.82, for a total transaction of $574,672.14. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 143,373 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,845,263.86. The trade was a 13.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.42% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have issued reports on IPG. BNP Paribas raised Interpublic Group of Companies from an “underperform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $38.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 10th. UBS Group raised Interpublic Group of Companies from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $29.00 to $27.00 in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Wells Fargo & Company raised Interpublic Group of Companies from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $26.00 to $34.00 in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. StockNews.com began coverage on Interpublic Group of Companies in a research note on Monday. They issued a “hold” rating on the stock. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Interpublic Group of Companies from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $32.00 to $39.00 in a research note on Monday, January 27th. One 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 has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $33.50.

Interpublic Group of Companies 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.