Quantbot Technologies LP Raises Stock Holdings in The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG)

Quantbot Technologies LP increased its stake in shares of The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) by 27.8% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 256,397 shares of the business services provider’s stock after buying an additional 55,747 shares during the period. Quantbot Technologies LP’s holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies were worth $7,184,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Empirical Finance LLC grew its stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 1.3% in the third quarter. Empirical Finance LLC now owns 32,609 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,031,000 after buying an additional 409 shares in the last quarter. West Oak Capital LLC increased its stake in Interpublic Group of Companies by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. West Oak Capital LLC now owns 55,595 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,558,000 after purchasing an additional 435 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP boosted 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 valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 480 shares during the period. Xponance Inc. increased its stake in Interpublic Group of Companies by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 59,844 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,677,000 after buying an additional 587 shares during the period. Finally, Proactive Wealth Strategies LLC lifted its holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies by 5.8% during the 4th quarter. Proactive Wealth Strategies LLC now owns 11,094 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $311,000 after buying an additional 607 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.43% of the company’s stock.

Interpublic Group of Companies Trading Down 0.9 %

NYSE:IPG opened at $26.11 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $27.66 and its 200-day simple moving average is $29.36. The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $25.97 and a 12-month high of $35.17. The company has a current ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. The firm has a market cap of $9.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.27 and a beta of 1.14.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The business services provider reported $1.11 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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%. Equities 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 authorized a stock buyback program on Wednesday, February 12th that authorizes the company to buyback $155.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the business services provider to repurchase up to 1.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Interpublic Group of Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be issued a dividend of $0.33 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.06%. Interpublic Group of Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 72.13%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Ellen Tobi Johnson sold 21,427 shares of the 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 in the company, valued at approximately $3,845,263.86. This represents a 13.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.42% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently commented on IPG shares. Argus cut Interpublic Group of Companies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Interpublic Group of Companies from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their target price for the company from $32.00 to $39.00 in a report on Monday, January 27th. Wells Fargo & Company raised Interpublic Group of Companies from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $26.00 to $34.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. UBS Group upgraded Interpublic Group of Companies from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $29.00 to $27.00 in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in a research note on Sunday, March 9th. They issued a “hold” rating on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price 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.