Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) Shares Down 0.1% on Insider Selling

The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG)’s share price fell 0.1% on Wednesday after an insider sold shares in the company. The stock traded as low as $162.22 and last traded at $163.08. 1,647,706 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 76% from the average session volume of 6,877,036 shares. The stock had previously closed at $163.20.

Specifically, CEO R. Alexandra Keith sold 776 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $158.11, for a total transaction of $122,693.36. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 4,859 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $768,256.49. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, insider Balaji Purushothaman sold 28,369 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.49, for a total transaction of $4,581,309.81. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 11,507 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,858,265.43. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO R. Alexandra Keith sold 776 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $158.11, for a total transaction of $122,693.36. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 4,859 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $768,256.49. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 86,865 shares of company stock valued at $14,059,180 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Argus upped their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $180.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $169.00 to $162.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 18th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $156.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $172.00 to $171.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 22nd. Finally, Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $168.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 23rd. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $169.76.

Procter & Gamble Trading Up 0.3 %

The firm has a market cap of $386.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.28 and a beta of 0.44. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $159.82 and its 200-day moving average price is $153.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a current ratio of 0.69.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last issued its earnings results on Friday, April 19th. The company reported $1.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.42 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $20.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.43 billion. Procter & Gamble had a net margin of 18.00% and a return on equity of 33.91%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up .6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.37 EPS. Equities analysts expect that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.55 EPS for the current year.

Procter & Gamble Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Investors of record on Friday, April 19th will be paid a dividend of $1.0065 per share. This is a positive change from Procter & Gamble’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.94. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 18th. This represents a $4.03 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.46%. Procter & Gamble’s dividend payout ratio is 65.85%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Procter & Gamble

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Advantage Trust Co acquired a new stake in Procter & Gamble during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Wyrmwood Management LLC acquired a new stake in Procter & Gamble during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Naples Money Management LLC acquired a new stake in Procter & Gamble during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Transcendent Capital Group LLC acquired a new stake in Procter & Gamble during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Criterion Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in Procter & Gamble in the 4th quarter worth about $33,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.77% of the company’s stock.

Procter & Gamble Company Profile

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.