Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) Trading 0.3% Higher – Time to Buy?

The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) rose 0.3% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $170.16 and last traded at $169.62. Approximately 895,801 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 87% from the average daily volume of 7,027,452 shares. The stock had previously closed at $169.13.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on PG. Erste Group Bank upgraded Procter & Gamble from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, March 17th. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $176.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Barclays reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating on shares of Procter & Gamble in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Finally, Truist Financial boosted their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $180.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $181.50.

Procter & Gamble Trading Down 1.3 %

The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $168.31 and its 200-day simple moving average is $168.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 0.76 and a quick ratio of 0.55. The firm has a market cap of $390.00 billion, a PE ratio of 26.48, a PEG ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.43.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The company reported $1.88 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.86 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $21.88 billion for 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%. The company’s revenue was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.84 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Procter & Gamble Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 21st will be given a dividend of $1.0568 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 21st. This is a boost from Procter & Gamble’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.01. This represents a $4.23 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.54%. Procter & Gamble’s dividend payout ratio is currently 67.20%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 18,000 shares of Procter & Gamble stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $171.66, for a total transaction of $3,089,880.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 22,051 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,785,274.66. The trade was a 44.94 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Marc S. Pritchard sold 90,450 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $163.84, for a total transaction of $14,819,328.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 172,814 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $28,313,845.76. The trade was a 34.36 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 143,450 shares of company stock worth $23,988,008. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Berkshire Asset Management LLC PA grew its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 2,179 shares during the last quarter. Strategic Advisors LLC raised 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 buying an additional 1,818 shares during the period. Copley Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in Procter & Gamble in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $668,000. Fortem Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Procter & Gamble during the fourth quarter worth about $569,000. Finally, Richard C. Young & CO. LTD. increased its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. Richard C. Young & CO. LTD. now owns 123,853 shares of the company’s stock worth $20,764,000 after purchasing an additional 2,568 shares during the last quarter. 65.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.