The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) Holdings Cut by Securian Asset Management Inc.

Securian Asset Management Inc. lowered its holdings in The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) by 3.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 20,020 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 752 shares during the period. Securian Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies were worth $561,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of IPG. Apollon Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Interpublic Group of Companies in the third quarter worth about $202,000. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 1.3% in the third quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 946,822 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $29,948,000 after purchasing an additional 11,824 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 18.1% in the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 706,774 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $22,355,000 after purchasing an additional 108,267 shares during the period. KBC Group NV increased its stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 2.2% in the third quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 204,066 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $6,454,000 after purchasing an additional 4,349 shares during the period. Finally, Metis Global Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 3.1% in the third quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 22,376 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $708,000 after purchasing an additional 683 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 98.43% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Interpublic Group of Companies news, CFO Ellen Tobi Johnson sold 21,427 shares of Interpublic Group of Companies stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.82, for a total value of $574,672.14. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 143,373 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,845,263.86. The trade was a 13.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.42% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Interpublic Group of Companies Trading Up 1.4 %

Interpublic Group of Companies stock opened at $26.47 on Monday. 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 $9.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.46 and a beta of 1.14. The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $25.93 and a 1 year high of $33.29. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $27.63 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $29.28.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The business services provider reported $1.11 earnings per share (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%. On average, research analysts predict that The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. will post 2.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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

Interpublic Group of Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be given a $0.33 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.99%. Interpublic Group of Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 72.13%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have commented on IPG shares. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and raised their price target for the company from $26.00 to $34.00 in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in a research note on Monday. They issued a “hold” rating on the stock. Barclays upgraded shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price target for the company from $32.00 to $36.00 in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Argus lowered shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price objective for the company 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 assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $33.50.

About Interpublic Group of Companies

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.