AIA Group Ltd Increases Stake in The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG)

AIA Group Ltd boosted its stake in The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) by 50.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 272,497 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 91,009 shares during the period. Procter & Gamble accounts for approximately 1.6% of AIA Group Ltd’s portfolio, making the stock its 12th largest position. AIA Group Ltd’s holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $39,932,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Emerald Advisors LLC increased its position in Procter & Gamble by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. Emerald Advisors LLC now owns 3,775 shares of the company’s stock valued at $553,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. O Brien Wealth Partners LLC raised its position in Procter & Gamble by 3.3% in the 4th quarter. O Brien Wealth Partners LLC now owns 2,062 shares of the company’s stock worth $302,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the period. KFA Private Wealth Group LLC lifted its stake in Procter & Gamble by 2.2% in the third quarter. KFA Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 3,054 shares of the company’s stock worth $445,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. Chemistry Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Procter & Gamble by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Chemistry Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,839 shares of the company’s stock valued at $856,000 after buying an additional 67 shares during the period. Finally, Watchman Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 0.4% during the third quarter. Watchman Group Inc. now owns 18,052 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,633,000 after buying an additional 68 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.77% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Procter & Gamble

In related news, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 22,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.32, for a total value of $3,549,040.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 36,845 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,943,835.40. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 22,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.32, for a total value of $3,549,040.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 36,845 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,943,835.40. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Marc S. Pritchard sold 101,704 shares of Procter & Gamble stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $153.57, for a total value of $15,618,683.28. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 163,428 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $25,097,637.96. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 279,063 shares of company stock worth $43,187,745. Insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Procter & Gamble Stock Up 0.6 %

Procter & Gamble stock traded up $0.99 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $156.94. The stock had a trading volume of 4,411,684 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,817,153. The Procter & Gamble Company has a 52 week low of $141.45 and a 52 week high of $163.14. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $159.16 and its 200-day moving average price is $152.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 0.64 and a quick ratio of 0.44. The company has a market cap of $369.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.22, a PEG ratio of 3.19 and a beta of 0.44.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 23rd. The company reported $1.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.70 by $0.14. The business had revenue of $21.44 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.48 billion. Procter & Gamble had a return on equity of 34.04% and a net margin of 17.60%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.59 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.45 EPS for the current year.

Procter & Gamble Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 19th will be issued a $1.0065 dividend. This represents a $4.03 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.57%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 18th. This is an increase from Procter & Gamble’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.94. Procter & Gamble’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 62.98%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

PG has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on Procter & Gamble in a research note on Friday, March 1st. They set a “neutral” rating and a $168.00 price target for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $169.00 to $162.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 18th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $156.00 to $157.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $170.00 to $172.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 3rd. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on Procter & Gamble from $165.00 to $168.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, April 12th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Procter & Gamble has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $168.53.

About Procter & Gamble

The Procter & Gamble Company provides branded consumer packaged goods worldwide. It operates through five segments: Beauty; Grooming; Health Care; Fabric & Home Care; and Baby, Feminine & Family Care. The Beauty segment offers conditioners, shampoos, styling aids, and treatments under the Head & Shoulders, Herbal Essences, Pantene, and Rejoice brands; and antiperspirants and deodorants, personal cleansing, and skin care products under the Olay, Old Spice, Safeguard, Secret, and SK-II brands.