GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC Purchases 437 Shares of The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG)

GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) by 3.3% in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 13,601 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 437 shares during the quarter. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC’s holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $2,243,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Procter & Gamble during the fourth quarter valued at about $3,956,117,000. TD Asset Management Inc boosted its position in Procter & Gamble by 114.9% during the first quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 3,568,671 shares of the company’s stock valued at $579,017,000 after buying an additional 1,907,716 shares during the period. Swedbank AB purchased a new stake in Procter & Gamble during the first quarter valued at about $233,788,000. Ilex Capital Partners UK LLP purchased a new stake in Procter & Gamble during the first quarter valued at about $228,212,000. Finally, California Public Employees Retirement System boosted its position in Procter & Gamble by 17.1% during the fourth quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 9,492,039 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,390,963,000 after buying an additional 1,387,539 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 65.77% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. BNP Paribas assumed coverage on shares of Procter & Gamble in a report on Monday, June 24th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $187.00 target price for the company. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $174.00 to $163.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $177.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 10th. TD Cowen began coverage on shares of Procter & Gamble in a report on Tuesday, July 23rd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $189.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $177.00 to $183.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, July 18th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Procter & Gamble presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $173.95.

Insider Buying and Selling at Procter & Gamble

In other news, insider Balaji Purushothaman sold 8,842 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.90, for a total value of $1,458,045.80. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 11,537 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,902,451.30. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other news, CEO Jon R. Moeller sold 72,174 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $171.01, for a total value of $12,342,475.74. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 263,158 shares in the company, valued at approximately $45,002,649.58. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Balaji Purushothaman sold 8,842 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.90, for a total transaction of $1,458,045.80. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 11,537 shares in the company, valued at $1,902,451.30. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 125,462 shares of company stock worth $21,238,114. Insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Procter & Gamble Price Performance

Shares of PG traded up $1.51 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $168.80. 4,953,783 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 7,864,465. The company has a current ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. The Procter & Gamble Company has a 52-week low of $141.45 and a 52-week high of $171.72. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $166.93 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $163.06. The company has a market cap of $398.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.70 and a beta of 0.41.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The company reported $1.40 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.37 by $0.03. Procter & Gamble had a net margin of 17.71% and a return on equity of 33.46%. The company had revenue of $20.53 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $20.69 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.37 EPS. Procter & Gamble’s revenue for the quarter was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.97 earnings per share for the current year.

Procter & Gamble Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 19th will be issued a $1.0065 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 19th. This represents a $4.03 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.39%. Procter & Gamble’s dividend payout ratio is currently 65.85%.

Procter & Gamble Company Profile

The Procter & Gamble Company provides branded consumer packaged goods worldwide. It operates through five segments: Beauty; Grooming; Health Care; Fabric & Home Care; and Baby, Feminine & Family Care. The Beauty segment offers conditioners, shampoos, styling aids, and treatments under the Head & Shoulders, Herbal Essences, Pantene, and Rejoice brands; and antiperspirants and deodorants, personal cleansing, and skin care products under the Olay, Old Spice, Safeguard, Secret, and SK-II brands.