Integrated Quantitative Investments LLC Invests $375,000 in The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG)

Integrated Quantitative Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm acquired 13,400 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $375,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of IPG. Allworth Financial LP boosted its stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 75.8% during the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,113 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 480 shares during the period. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new stake in Interpublic Group of Companies in the 4th quarter valued at about $36,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in Interpublic Group of Companies in the 3rd quarter worth about $107,000. CENTRAL TRUST Co increased its position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 10.6% during the fourth quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 7,037 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $197,000 after acquiring an additional 675 shares during the period. Finally, Baader Bank Aktiengesellschaft bought a new stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $203,000. Institutional investors own 98.43% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

IPG has been the topic of several research analyst reports. StockNews.com assumed coverage on Interpublic Group of Companies in a research note on Wednesday. They issued a “hold” rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Interpublic Group of Companies from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $32.00 to $39.00 in a report on Monday, January 27th. UBS Group upgraded shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $29.00 to $27.00 in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Argus lowered shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $26.00 to $34.00 in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $33.50.

Interpublic Group of Companies Stock Down 3.6 %

NYSE:IPG opened at $23.70 on Friday. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $8.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.95 and a beta of 1.14. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $27.13 and its 200-day simple moving average is $28.75. The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $23.67 and a fifty-two week high of $33.05.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) last released 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, equities analysts anticipate that The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. will post 2.66 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Interpublic Group of Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were paid a $0.33 dividend. This represents a $1.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.57%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. Interpublic Group of Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 72.13%.

Interpublic Group of Companies announced that its board has approved a stock buyback program on Wednesday, February 12th that authorizes the company to buyback $155.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the business services provider to purchase up to 1.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related 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 completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 143,373 shares in the company, valued at $3,845,263.86. This trade represents a 13.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 0.42% of the company’s stock.

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.