Omnicom Group Inc. $OMC Shares Bought by Crawford Investment Counsel Inc.

Crawford Investment Counsel Inc. raised its position in Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE:OMC) by 15.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,252,790 shares of the business services provider’s stock after buying an additional 165,125 shares during the period. Omnicom Group comprises about 1.6% of Crawford Investment Counsel Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 18th largest holding. Crawford Investment Counsel Inc. owned approximately 0.65% of Omnicom Group worth $101,163,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Activest Wealth Management boosted its holdings in Omnicom Group by 2,960.0% in the 4th quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 306 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 296 shares during the last quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd acquired a new stake in Omnicom Group in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Elyxium Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Omnicom Group in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Legacy Wealth Managment LLC ID boosted its holdings in Omnicom Group by 111.4% in the 4th quarter. Legacy Wealth Managment LLC ID now owns 334 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 176 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Omnicom Group in the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. 91.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

OMC has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Omnicom Group from $82.00 to $83.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Barclays boosted their target price on Omnicom Group from $82.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, February 23rd. Rothschild & Co Redburn initiated coverage on Omnicom Group in a report on Thursday, May 28th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $89.00 target price on the stock. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Omnicom Group in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, Citigroup lowered their target price on Omnicom Group from $115.00 to $105.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $99.00.

Omnicom Group Trading Up 1.0%

Shares of Omnicom Group stock opened at $77.26 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $22.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 198.10, a P/E/G ratio of 0.46 and a beta of 0.63. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $75.58 and its 200-day simple moving average is $76.73. Omnicom Group Inc. has a 1-year low of $66.33 and a 1-year high of $87.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 0.91 and a quick ratio of 0.77.

Omnicom Group (NYSE:OMC) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The business services provider reported $1.90 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.84 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $6.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.85 billion. Omnicom Group had a return on equity of 24.48% and a net margin of 0.32%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 69.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.70 EPS. Analysts predict that Omnicom Group Inc. will post 10.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Omnicom Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 9th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, June 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.80 per share. This represents a $3.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.1%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, June 10th. Omnicom Group’s payout ratio is currently 820.51%.

Omnicom Group announced that its board has approved a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, February 18th that permits the company to buyback $5.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the business services provider to reacquire up to 38.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are generally an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Omnicom Group Profile

Omnicom Group Inc (NYSE: OMC) is a global marketing and corporate communications holding company headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1986 through the merger of the BBDO, DDB and Needham Harper agencies, Omnicom has built a portfolio of leading brands and networks serving clients across diverse industries.

The company’s primary business activities encompass advertising, strategic media planning and buying, digital and interactive marketing, direct and promotional marketing, public relations, and customer relationship management.