Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) Lowered to “Underweight” at Morgan Stanley

Morgan Stanley downgraded shares of Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) from an equal weight rating to an underweight rating in a research report released on Monday, Marketbeat reports. They currently have $28.00 target price on the business services provider’s stock, down from their prior target price of $34.00.

IPG has been the topic of a number of other reports. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from $32.00 to $31.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. Bank of America cut their price target on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from $38.00 to $37.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, June 25th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from $37.00 to $36.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 12th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $34.13.

Interpublic Group of Companies Stock Up 2.4 %

Shares of IPG opened at $30.27 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $11.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.18 and a beta of 1.12. Interpublic Group of Companies has a 12-month low of $27.20 and a 12-month high of $35.24. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $29.99 and its 200 day moving average price is $31.26. The company has a current ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 24th. The business services provider reported $0.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.59 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $2.71 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.33 billion. Interpublic Group of Companies had a net margin of 9.97% and a return on equity of 29.70%. Interpublic Group of Companies’s revenue was up 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.74 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Interpublic Group of Companies will post 2.8 earnings per share for the current year.

Interpublic Group of Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 18th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 4th were paid a dividend of $0.33 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 4th. This represents a $1.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.36%. Interpublic Group of Companies’s payout ratio is 46.98%.

Institutional Trading of Interpublic Group of Companies

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Marino Stram & Associates LLC increased its stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Marino Stram & Associates LLC now owns 26,654 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $870,000 after buying an additional 315 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies by 3.5% in the first quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 9,607 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $313,000 after purchasing an additional 321 shares in the last quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies by 4.6% in the fourth quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 7,364 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $240,000 after purchasing an additional 327 shares in the last quarter. Simplicity Solutions LLC boosted its holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies by 4.6% in the fourth quarter. Simplicity Solutions LLC now owns 7,364 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $240,000 after purchasing an additional 327 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Legacy Wealth Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies by 3.3% in the first quarter. Legacy Wealth Asset Management LLC now owns 10,923 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $356,000 after purchasing an additional 347 shares in the last quarter. 98.43% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Interpublic Group of Companies Company Profile

The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc provides advertising and marketing services worldwide. It operates in three segments: Media, Data & Engagement Solutions, Integrated Advertising & Creativity Led Solutions, and Specialized Communications & Experiential Solutions. The Media, Data & Engagement Solutions segment provides media and communications services, digital services and products, advertising and marketing technology, e-commerce services, data management and analytics, strategic consulting, and digital brand experience under the IPG Mediabrands, UM, Initiative, Kinesso, Acxiom, Huge, MRM, and R/GA brand names.