The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) have earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the eighteen analysts that are covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and twelve have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $169.76.

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on PG shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $172.00 to $171.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on Procter & Gamble in a research report on Friday, March 1st. They set a “neutral” rating and a $168.00 price objective on the stock. Truist Financial upgraded shares of Procter & Gamble from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the company from $160.00 to $175.00 in a research note on Monday, March 11th. Argus lifted their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $180.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted 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, April 22nd.

Procter & Gamble Price Performance

Shares of NYSE PG opened at $165.33 on Wednesday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $161.83 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $156.03. Procter & Gamble has a fifty-two week low of $141.45 and a fifty-two week high of $168.54. The company has a market capitalization of $390.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.01, a P/E/G ratio of 3.36 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a current ratio of 0.69.

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

Procter & Gamble Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Investors of record on Friday, April 19th were given a dividend of $1.0065 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 18th. This represents a $4.03 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.44%. This is a boost from Procter & Gamble’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.94. Procter & Gamble’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 65.85%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Sundar G. Raman sold 31,924 shares of Procter & Gamble stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $166.95, for a total transaction of $5,329,711.80. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 19,042 shares in the company, valued at $3,179,061.90. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. In other Procter & Gamble news, insider Moses Victor Javier Aguilar sold 9,149 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $167.72, for a total transaction of $1,534,470.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 12,929 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,168,451.88. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Sundar G. Raman sold 31,924 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $166.95, for a total value of $5,329,711.80. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 19,042 shares in the company, valued at $3,179,061.90. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 155,320 shares of company stock valued at $25,535,744. Corporate insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Procter & Gamble

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Alera Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in Procter & Gamble by 1.2% during the first quarter. Alera Investment Advisors LLC now owns 5,007 shares of the company’s stock worth $812,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Demars Financial Group LLC lifted its position in Procter & Gamble by 4.4% in the fourth quarter. Demars Financial Group LLC now owns 1,497 shares of the company’s stock worth $219,000 after buying an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. LCM Capital Management Inc boosted its stake in Procter & Gamble by 1.1% during the first quarter. LCM Capital Management Inc now owns 5,701 shares of the company’s stock worth $925,000 after buying an additional 63 shares during the period. Emerald Advisors LLC increased its position in Procter & Gamble by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. Emerald Advisors LLC now owns 3,775 shares of the company’s stock valued at $553,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Finally, O Brien Wealth Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 3.3% in the fourth quarter. O Brien Wealth Partners LLC now owns 2,062 shares of the company’s stock valued at $302,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the period. 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.