Stonegate Investment Group LLC Buys 1,278 Shares of The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG)

Stonegate Investment Group LLC grew its stake in shares of The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) by 0.4% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 354,819 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 1,278 shares during the quarter. Procter & Gamble makes up 1.8% of Stonegate Investment Group LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 18th biggest holding. Stonegate Investment Group LLC’s holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $57,569,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of PG. Advantage Trust Co acquired a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Wyrmwood Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Naples Money Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Transcendent Capital Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Criterion Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble during the fourth quarter worth $33,000. Institutional investors own 65.77% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Procter & Gamble

In other Procter & Gamble news, insider Balaji Purushothaman sold 28,369 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.49, for a total value 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other Procter & Gamble news, insider Susan Street Whaley sold 3,865 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.60, for a total value of $620,719.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 11,886 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,908,891.60. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Balaji Purushothaman sold 28,369 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 23rd. The stock was 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 $1,858,265.43. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 55,865 shares of company stock valued at $9,009,280 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Procter & Gamble Stock Up 1.0 %

PG traded up $1.58 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $163.24. The company had a trading volume of 8,105,773 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,942,727. The Procter & Gamble Company has a 52 week low of $141.45 and a 52 week high of $164.32. The company has a quick ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49. The company has a market capitalization of $385.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.67, a PEG ratio of 3.27 and a beta of 0.44. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $159.82 and its 200 day moving average price is $153.91.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last posted its earnings results on Friday, April 19th. The company reported $1.52 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.42 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $20.20 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $20.43 billion. Procter & Gamble had a net margin of 18.00% and a return on equity of 33.91%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.37 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Procter & Gamble Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 19th will be given a dividend of $1.0065 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 18th. This is an increase from Procter & Gamble’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.94. This represents a $4.03 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.47%. Procter & Gamble’s payout ratio is presently 65.85%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently commented on PG. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target 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 dropped their target price 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. Argus boosted their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $180.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 25th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $175.00 to $182.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 22nd. Finally, Raymond James boosted their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $170.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 24th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Procter & Gamble currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $169.76.

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.