Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) Stock Keeps “Outperform” Rating at Royal Bank Of Canada

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG)‘s stock had its “outperform” rating reissued by stock analysts at Royal Bank Of Canada in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday, October 20th, Benzinga reports. They presently have a $166.00 target price on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada‘s price target points to a potential upside of 4.31% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other research analysts have also recently commented on PG. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on Procter & Gamble from $177.00 to $179.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, June 26th. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Procter & Gamble in a report on Friday, October 16th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on Procter & Gamble from $169.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, June 29th. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a “market perform” rating and set a $149.00 price target on shares of Procter & Gamble in a report on Monday, August 24th. Finally, Barclays increased their price target on Procter & Gamble from $146.00 to $152.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have issued 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 $170.57.

Procter & Gamble Price Performance

NYSE PG traded down $0.78 on Tuesday, hitting $159.14. 7,595,100 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 9,755,463. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $149.01 and a 200-day moving average of $148.67. The company has a current ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. Procter & Gamble has a 52 week low of $137.62 and a 52 week high of $167.25. The stock has a market cap of $368.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.97, a P/E/G ratio of 4.00 and a beta of 0.39.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 22nd. The company reported $2.00 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.89 by $0.11. Procter & Gamble had a return on equity of 31.02% and a net margin of 18.23%. The firm had revenue of $23.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $22.80 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.99 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that Procter & Gamble will post 6.98 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Procter & Gamble

In other Procter & Gamble news, insider Balaji Purushothaman sold 4,181 shares of Procter & Gamble stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.71, for a total transaction of $671,928.51. Following the transaction, the insider owned 11,296 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,815,380.16. This trade represents a 27.01% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Andre Schulten sold 3,914 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.34, for a total transaction of $568,860.76. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 65,618 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,536,920.12. The trade was a 5.63% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 58,647 shares of company stock worth $9,268,508. 0.23% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Procter & Gamble

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in Procter & Gamble in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $27,862,105,000. State Street Corp grew its stake in Procter & Gamble by 1.0% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 102,216,308 shares of the company’s stock valued at $14,988,999,000 after buying an additional 965,461 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble during the 2nd quarter valued at $3,850,628,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble during the 2nd quarter valued at $2,281,505,000. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in shares of Procter & Gamble by 2.6% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 11,797,916 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,704,182,000 after purchasing an additional 300,280 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.77% of the company’s stock.

Procter & Gamble News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Procter & Gamble this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Freedom Broker upgraded PG’s depositary receipt from “Hold” to “Buy,” adding to a generally favorable analyst view. Recent commentary also points to P&G’s strong market shares in household and personal-care products and its appeal as a high-yield defensive investment. Freedom Broker upgrade P&G dividend comparison
• Positive Sentiment: PG remains prominent among “Dividend Kings,” with decades of annual payout increases. Its dependable demand for products such as toothpaste, detergent and diapers may continue attracting income-focused investors, particularly during uncertain economic conditions. Consumer Staples Dividend Kings
• Positive Sentiment: One market report said ETFs purchased approximately $82.8 million of PG stock on October 22, suggesting continued institutional demand. The company also recently exceeded quarterly earnings and revenue expectations, with revenue rising 4% year over year. ETF purchases of PG
• Neutral Sentiment: Commentary notes that P&G is up about 16% this year and has outperformed the S&P 500. That momentum supports sentiment, but it also raises questions about how much additional upside is already reflected in the stock’s valuation. P&G outperformance
• Negative Sentiment: Higher oil prices could increase manufacturing, packaging and transportation costs, potentially pressuring margins if P&G cannot offset them through pricing or productivity improvements. Higher oil prices and PG
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts are examining an unsettled issue beneath the stock’s recent strength, while a Habitat Care business realignment has prompted concerns about segment comparability and profit transparency. These issues could make future results harder to assess. Unsettled question under PG Habitat Care realignment
• Negative Sentiment: Several insiders sold shares, including CEO Shailesh Jejurikar’s approximately $5.7 million sale and additional executive transactions. While such sales may reflect personal financial planning, the reduced insider ownership creates a modest sentiment overhang. SEC insider filing

About Procter & Gamble

Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE: PG) is a global consumer products company that develops, manufactures and markets branded products used in households and personal care. Its portfolio includes personal health and grooming products, beauty and skin care items, baby, feminine and family care products, fabric and home care products, and oral care products.

The company’s well-known brands include Pampers, Tide, Gillette, Crest, Oral-B, Head & Shoulders, Pantene, Olay, Old Spice, Dawn, Febreze and Mr.