The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) Shares Sold by Twin Capital Management Inc.

Twin Capital Management Inc. decreased its position in shares of The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) by 3.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 41,175 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 1,540 shares during the period. Twin Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies were worth $1,154,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Interpublic Group of Companies Stock Performance

Shares of IPG stock opened at $23.28 on Tuesday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $27.01 and a 200 day simple moving average of $28.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.09 and a quick ratio of 1.09. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.72 and a beta of 1.01. The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $22.71 and a 12-month 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 research analysts anticipate that The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. will post 2.66 EPS for the current year.

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

Interpublic Group of Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a $0.33 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $1.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.67%. Interpublic Group of Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 72.13%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Interpublic Group of Companies

In related news, CFO Ellen Tobi Johnson sold 21,427 shares of Interpublic Group of Companies stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.82, for a total transaction of $574,672.14. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 143,373 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,845,263.86. The trade was a 13.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.42% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

IPG has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Argus cut shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. UBS Group upgraded shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their target price for the company from $29.00 to $27.00 in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. StockNews.com started coverage on Interpublic Group of Companies in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. They issued a “hold” rating for the company. BNP Paribas raised Interpublic Group of Companies from an “underperform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $38.00 price objective for the company in a report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised Interpublic Group of Companies from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $26.00 to $34.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $33.50.

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.