Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) Sets New 52-Week High at $164.81

The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG)’s share price reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $164.81 and last traded at $164.81, with a volume of 2150 shares. The stock had previously closed at $164.46.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on PG. StockNews.com lowered Procter & Gamble from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on Procter & Gamble from $169.00 to $162.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 18th. Barclays raised their price target on Procter & Gamble from $168.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on Procter & Gamble in a research note on Friday, March 1st. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $168.00 price target for the company. Finally, Raymond James upped their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $170.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 24th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $169.76.

Procter & Gamble Stock Down 0.2 %

The stock has a 50-day moving average of $160.01 and a 200 day moving average of $154.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 0.69 and a quick ratio of 0.48. The company has a market cap of $387.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.71, a PEG ratio of 3.34 and a beta of 0.43.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last issued its earnings results on Friday, April 19th. The company reported $1.52 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.42 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $20.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $20.43 billion. Procter & Gamble had a net margin of 18.00% and a return on equity of 33.91%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up .6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.37 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Procter & Gamble Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 19th will be issued a dividend of $1.0065 per share. This represents a $4.03 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.45%. This is a positive change from Procter & Gamble’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.94. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 18th. Procter & Gamble’s payout ratio is presently 65.85%.

Insider Activity

In related news, COO Shailesh Jejurikar sold 31,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $162.90, for a total transaction of $5,049,900.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 9,739 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,586,483.10. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other Procter & Gamble news, insider Balaji Purushothaman sold 28,369 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.49, for a total transaction of $4,581,309.81. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 11,507 shares in the company, valued at $1,858,265.43. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, COO Shailesh Jejurikar sold 31,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $162.90, for a total transaction of $5,049,900.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 9,739 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,586,483.10. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 86,865 shares of company stock valued at $14,059,180. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Procter & Gamble

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of PG. Advantage Trust Co purchased a new stake in Procter & Gamble in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Naples Money Management LLC bought a new stake in Procter & Gamble in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Ruedi Wealth Management Inc. raised its stake in Procter & Gamble by 64.7% in the 1st quarter. Ruedi Wealth Management Inc. now owns 196 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 77 shares during the period. Wyrmwood Management LLC bought a new stake in Procter & Gamble in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Transcendent Capital Group LLC bought a new stake in Procter & Gamble in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Institutional investors 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.