Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) Shares Down 0.5% on Insider Selling

The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG)’s stock price fell 0.5% during trading on Wednesday following insider selling activity. The company traded as low as $159.42 and last traded at $160.64. 1,437,864 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 79% from the average session volume of 6,895,417 shares. The stock had previously closed at $161.50.

Specifically, insider Susan Street Whaley sold 3,865 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.60, for a total transaction of $620,719.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 11,886 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,908,891.60. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In other Procter & Gamble news, insider Susan Street Whaley sold 3,865 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.60, for a total transaction of $620,719.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 11,886 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,908,891.60. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, COO Shailesh Jejurikar sold 31,275 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $154.90, for a total transaction of $4,844,497.50. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 9,623 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,490,602.70. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 103,771 shares of company stock worth $16,292,467 in the last 90 days. 0.17% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $175.00 to $182.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday. StockNews.com lowered shares of Procter & Gamble from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $156.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 24th. Raymond James increased their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $170.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 24th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $172.00 to $171.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Procter & Gamble currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $168.88.

Procter & Gamble Trading Up 0.4 %

The company’s 50-day moving average price is $159.32 and its 200-day moving average price is $153.26. The firm has a market cap of $382.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.23 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a quick ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last announced its earnings results on Friday, April 19th. The company reported $1.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.42 by $0.10. Procter & Gamble had a net margin of 18.00% and a return on equity of 33.91%. The business had revenue of $20.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.43 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.37 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up .6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Procter & Gamble Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 19th will be given a $1.0065 dividend. This is a positive change from Procter & Gamble’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.94. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 18th. This represents a $4.03 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.48%. Procter & Gamble’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 65.85%.

Institutional Trading of Procter & Gamble

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of PG. Advantage Trust Co purchased a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble in the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Naples Money Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble in the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Wyrmwood Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble in the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Transcendent Capital Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble in the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble in the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.77% of the company’s stock.

About Procter & Gamble

The Procter & Gamble Company provides branded consumer packaged goods worldwide. It operates through five segments: Beauty; Grooming; Health Care; Fabric & Home Care; and Baby, Feminine & Family Care. The Beauty segment offers conditioners, shampoos, styling aids, and treatments under the Head & Shoulders, Herbal Essences, Pantene, and Rejoice brands; and antiperspirants and deodorants, personal cleansing, and skin care products under the Olay, Old Spice, Safeguard, Secret, and SK-II brands.