Crawford Investment Counsel Inc. Buys 20,243 Shares of Procter & Gamble Company (The) $PG

Crawford Investment Counsel Inc. increased its holdings in Procter & Gamble Company (The) (NYSE:PG) by 3.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 581,042 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 20,243 shares during the quarter. Procter & Gamble comprises about 1.5% of Crawford Investment Counsel Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 24th biggest holding. Crawford Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $89,277,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble during the third quarter worth $25,000. Corundum Trust Company INC purchased a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble in the third quarter valued at $32,000. Caitlin John LLC bought a new position in Procter & Gamble during the third quarter valued at $34,000. Marquette Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble in the 3rd quarter valued at about $37,000. Finally, Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Procter & Gamble in the third quarter worth $40,000. 65.77% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on PG shares. Erste Group Bank upgraded Procter & Gamble from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Wells Fargo & Company restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $177.00 price target on shares of Procter & Gamble in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Piper Sandler began coverage on shares of Procter & Gamble in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $150.00 price objective for the company. TD Cowen lowered shares of Procter & Gamble from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $150.00 to $156.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Procter & Gamble from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $156.00 to $179.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $168.33.

Procter & Gamble Stock Up 0.0%

NYSE:PG opened at $150.57 on Friday. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $153.32 and its 200-day simple moving average is $151.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a current ratio of 0.72. Procter & Gamble Company has a fifty-two week low of $137.62 and a fifty-two week high of $174.80. The stock has a market capitalization of $349.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.31, a P/E/G ratio of 5.04 and a beta of 0.37.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 23rd. The company reported $1.88 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.86 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $22.21 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.36 billion. Procter & Gamble had a net margin of 19.30% and a return on equity of 32.21%. Procter & Gamble’s revenue was up 1.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.88 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Procter & Gamble Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 23rd were issued a dividend of $1.0568 per share. This represents a $4.23 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 23rd. Procter & Gamble’s dividend payout ratio is currently 62.67%.

Insider Transactions at Procter & Gamble

In other news, insider Susan Street Whaley sold 1,809 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $159.46, for a total value of $288,463.14. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 30,215 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,818,083.90. This trade represents a 5.65% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Ma. Fatima Francisco sold 5,549 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.29, for a total value of $917,194.21. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,029 shares in the company, valued at $170,083.41. This represents a 84.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 348,618 shares of company stock worth $55,462,643. 0.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Procter & Gamble Company Profile

Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG) is a multinational consumer goods company headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in 1837 by William Procter and James Gamble, P&G has grown into one of the world’s largest producers of branded consumer packaged goods. The company focuses on developing, manufacturing and marketing a broad portfolio of household and personal care products sold to consumers and retailers worldwide.

P&G’s product offering spans several core business categories, including Beauty, Grooming, Health Care, Fabric & Home Care, and Baby, Feminine & Family Care.