Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) Shares Down 1.9% – Time to Sell?

Shares of Procter & Gamble Company (The) (NYSE:PG) fell 1.9% during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $145.89 and last traded at $146.3550. 8,538,292 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 22% from the average session volume of 10,970,109 shares. The stock had previously closed at $149.17.

Key Stories Impacting Procter & Gamble

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

• Positive Sentiment: UBS reaffirmed its Buy rating and lifted its price target to $172, signaling continued analyst confidence in P&G’s long‑term cash flow and brand strength. Procter & Gamble (PG): The Best Consumer Staples Stock to Invest In
• Positive Sentiment: P&G confirmed a modest earnings uptick and announced a quarterly dividend increase (3%), reinforcing its dividend reliability that appeals to income investors. Will P&G’s Modest Earnings Uptick and Dividend Hike Change Procter & Gamble’s (PG) Narrative?
• Positive Sentiment: Product innovation continues: Gillette Venus launched the Smoothguard campaign and a pubic‑care line aimed at younger consumers — a sign P&G is targeting growth niches within grooming. Venus Smoothguard Highlights P&G Push Into Targeted Grooming And Growth
• Neutral Sentiment: Q3 recap: EPS beat estimates slightly while revenue missed consensus; management reiterated full‑year outlook — mixed results that leave upside conditional on execution. Is Procter & Gamble Stock a Buy After Its Q3 2026 Earnings Report?
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and outlets continue to highlight P&G’s portfolio/innovation strategy as a long‑term positive, though near‑term execution matters more to returns. Procter & Gamble’s Portfolio Strategy: Strengthening Core Brands?
• Negative Sentiment: Erste Group cut its FY2026/FY2027 EPS forecasts and kept a Hold rating, signaling analyst concern about margin pressure and weaker near‑term profit momentum. Procter & Gamble Company (The) – MarketBeat
• Negative Sentiment: P&G’s CFO warned pricing power isn’t a given as consumers stay price sensitive, highlighting execution and mix management risk that can hurt margins. Procter & Gamble’s CFO says pricing power isn’t a given anymore—here’s how the company plans to earn it
• Negative Sentiment: Macro/valuation worries for the sector persist — some commentary suggests FMCG giants (including P&G) face tougher growth/valuation comparisons, which can pressure the stock despite defensive qualities. FMCG giants Nestle, P&G, Colgate have lost their shine: what next?

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently commented on PG. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $175.00 to $166.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. BNP Paribas Exane lowered their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $172.00 to $165.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $166.00 to $172.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $155.00 to $146.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. Finally, Erste Group Bank lowered shares of Procter & Gamble from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 24th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $161.06.

Procter & Gamble Stock Down 1.9%

The company has a current ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44. The company has a market capitalization of $340.80 billion, a PE ratio of 21.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.11 and a beta of 0.41. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $149.88 and its 200-day simple moving average is $148.64.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 24th. The company reported $1.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.56 by $0.03. Procter & Gamble had a net margin of 19.16% and a return on equity of 32.00%. The company had revenue of $21.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.52 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.54 EPS. Procter & Gamble’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Procter & Gamble has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.830-7.090 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Procter & Gamble Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors of record on Friday, April 24th will be paid a $1.0885 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 24th. This represents a $4.35 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.0%. This is an increase from Procter & Gamble’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.06. Procter & Gamble’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 63.60%.

Insider Transactions at Procter & Gamble

In related news, insider Balaji Purushothaman sold 12,827 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.31, for a total value of $2,056,296.37. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 12,639 shares in the company, valued at $2,026,158.09. The trade was a 50.37% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 36,093 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $162.33, for a total transaction of $5,858,976.69. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 34,994 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,680,576.02. This represents a 50.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 252,715 shares of company stock worth $40,966,904. Insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Procter & Gamble

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Triodos Investment Management BV increased its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 7.3% in the 3rd quarter. Triodos Investment Management BV now owns 255,095 shares of the company’s stock worth $39,195,000 after acquiring an additional 17,400 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 234,630,605 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,050,992,000 after acquiring an additional 1,419,322 shares in the last quarter. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC increased its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 820.6% in the 3rd quarter. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC now owns 14,803 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,308,000 after acquiring an additional 13,195 shares in the last quarter. Heritage Wealth Management Inc. increased its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 32.7% in the 3rd quarter. Heritage Wealth Management Inc. now owns 150,814 shares of the company’s stock worth $23,173,000 after acquiring an additional 37,198 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 21.5% in the 3rd quarter. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 84,512 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,985,000 after acquiring an additional 14,954 shares in the last quarter. 65.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Procter & Gamble

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.