The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” by Analysts

Shares of The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) have received an average recommendation of “Hold” from the ten brokerages that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, four have issued a hold recommendation and five have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $33.67.

IPG has been the topic of several recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $32.00 to $39.00 in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $35.00 price target on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in a report on Tuesday. 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 research note on Friday, January 10th. StockNews.com began coverage on Interpublic Group of Companies in a report on Friday. They issued a “hold” rating on the stock. Finally, Barclays upgraded Interpublic Group of Companies from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price target for the company from $32.00 to $36.00 in a research report on Friday, January 24th.

Interpublic Group of Companies Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE IPG opened at $23.91 on Friday. Interpublic Group of Companies has a 1 year low of $22.51 and a 1 year high of $33.05. The firm has a market cap of $8.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.07 and a beta of 1.01. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $26.18 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $28.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a current ratio of 1.09.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The business services provider reported $1.11 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.15 by ($0.04). Interpublic Group of Companies had a net margin of 6.45% and a return on equity of 27.10%. Research analysts forecast that Interpublic Group of Companies will post 2.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Interpublic Group of Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a dividend of $0.33 per share. 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 5.52%. Interpublic Group of Companies’s payout ratio is presently 72.13%.

Interpublic Group of Companies declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase plan 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 reacquire up to 1.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Transactions at Interpublic Group of Companies

In other Interpublic Group of Companies news, CFO Ellen Tobi Johnson sold 21,427 shares of the 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 owns 143,373 shares in the company, valued at $3,845,263.86. This represents a 13.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.42% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Interpublic Group of Companies

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Grove Bank & Trust grew its stake in Interpublic Group of Companies by 1,219.5% in the first quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 2,164 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $59,000 after purchasing an additional 2,000 shares in the last quarter. FNY Investment Advisers LLC bought a new stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Mission Wealth Management LP grew its stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 8.7% in the 1st quarter. Mission Wealth Management LP now owns 19,506 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $530,000 after buying an additional 1,564 shares in the last quarter. Cyndeo Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in Interpublic Group of Companies in the first quarter worth approximately $7,495,000. Finally, Sound Income Strategies LLC lifted its stake in Interpublic Group of Companies by 2.1% in the first quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 433,075 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $11,762,000 after acquiring an additional 9,026 shares during the last quarter. 98.43% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.