Washington Trust Bank Decreases Stake in The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG)

Washington Trust Bank lessened its holdings in shares of The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) by 0.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 249,731 shares of the company’s stock after selling 456 shares during the period. Procter & Gamble accounts for about 4.0% of Washington Trust Bank’s portfolio, making the stock its 4th largest position. Washington Trust Bank’s holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $41,867,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Berkshire Asset Management LLC PA boosted its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Berkshire Asset Management LLC PA now owns 236,616 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,833,000 after acquiring an additional 2,179 shares during the last quarter. Strategic Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 3.4% in the fourth quarter. Strategic Advisors LLC now owns 55,912 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,374,000 after acquiring an additional 1,818 shares during the last quarter. Copley Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in Procter & Gamble in the third quarter valued at about $668,000. Fortem Financial Group LLC bought a new position in Procter & Gamble in the fourth quarter valued at about $569,000. Finally, Richard C. Young & CO. LTD. boosted its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. Richard C. Young & CO. LTD. now owns 123,853 shares of the company’s stock valued at $20,764,000 after acquiring an additional 2,568 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 65.77% of the company’s stock.

Procter & Gamble Stock Down 0.6 %

NYSE:PG opened at $166.60 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a current ratio of 0.76. The company has a market cap of $390.66 billion, a PE ratio of 26.53, a PEG ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.41. The Procter & Gamble Company has a 52-week low of $153.52 and a 52-week high of $180.43. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $167.97 and a 200 day simple moving average of $169.72.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 22nd. The company reported $1.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.86 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $21.88 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.66 billion. Procter & Gamble had a return on equity of 33.00% and a net margin of 18.35%. Procter & Gamble’s quarterly revenue was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.84 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Procter & Gamble Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 24th were paid a $1.0065 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 24th. This represents a $4.03 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.42%. Procter & Gamble’s dividend payout ratio is 64.01%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Procter & Gamble

In other Procter & Gamble news, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 35,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $173.68, for a total value of $6,078,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 22,051 shares in the company, valued at $3,829,817.68. This trade represents a 61.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Marc S. Pritchard sold 90,450 shares of Procter & Gamble stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $163.84, for a total value of $14,819,328.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 172,814 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $28,313,845.76. This represents a 34.36 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 143,450 shares of company stock worth $23,988,008 over the last ninety days. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on PG shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on Procter & Gamble from $186.00 to $181.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Barclays raised their price target on Procter & Gamble from $155.00 to $159.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Piper Sandler cut their target price on Procter & Gamble from $173.00 to $172.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 24th. Finally, Erste Group Bank raised Procter & Gamble from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 17th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $181.47.

About Procter & Gamble

Procter & Gamble Co engages in the provision of branded consumer packaged goods. It operates through the following segments: Beauty, Grooming, Health Care, Fabric and Home Care, and Baby, Feminine and Family Care. The Beauty segment offers hair, skin, and personal care. The Grooming segment consists of shave care like female and male blades and razors, pre and post shave products, and appliances.