Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB Lowers Position in The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG)

Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB trimmed its position in shares of The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) by 49.1% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 1,727 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 1,663 shares during the quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB’s holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies were worth $48,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in IPG. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Interpublic Group of Companies during the third quarter worth about $26,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $60,000. Trust Co. of Vermont boosted its position in Interpublic Group of Companies by 250.0% in the third quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 2,100 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $66,000 after purchasing an additional 1,500 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raleigh Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in Interpublic Group of Companies by 31.8% in the third quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,356 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $75,000 after purchasing an additional 568 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 98.43% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently commented on IPG. Barclays upgraded Interpublic Group of Companies from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $32.00 to $36.00 in a research note on Friday, January 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $32.00 to $39.00 in a research report on Monday, January 27th. UBS Group upgraded Interpublic Group of Companies from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $29.00 to $27.00 in a research note on Thursday. BNP Paribas raised Interpublic Group of Companies from an “underperform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $38.00 target price for the company in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, Macquarie reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $31.00 price target on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Interpublic Group of Companies currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $33.50.

Interpublic Group of Companies Stock Performance

NYSE:IPG opened at $27.00 on Friday. The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $26.30 and a 52-week high of $35.17. The business’s fifty day moving average is $28.40 and its 200 day moving average is $29.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a current ratio of 1.09. The firm has a market cap of $10.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.74 and a beta of 1.11.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 7.44% and a return on equity of 27.76%. Research analysts predict that The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. will post 2.8 EPS for the current year.

Interpublic Group of Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be paid a $0.33 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $1.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.89%. Interpublic Group of Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 72.13%.

Interpublic Group of Companies declared that its board has approved a share buyback program on Wednesday, February 12th that authorizes the company to repurchase $155.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the business services provider to buy up to 1.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are generally an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

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.