UBS Group Cuts Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) Price Target to $189.00

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) had its target price lowered by UBS Group from $196.00 to $189.00 in a research note issued to investors on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. UBS Group currently has a buy rating on the stock.

PG has been the subject of a number of other reports. Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $164.00 price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble in a report on Monday, October 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on Procter & Gamble from $186.00 to $181.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Procter & Gamble from $174.00 to $191.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Evercore ISI increased their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $180.00 to $183.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $190.00 to $176.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $180.05.

Procter & Gamble Stock Performance

NYSE:PG opened at $160.54 on Thursday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $169.37 and its 200-day moving average is $169.45. The stock has a market cap of $378.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.41 and a beta of 0.45. Procter & Gamble has a 1-year low of $146.28 and a 1-year high of $180.43. The company has a current ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, October 18th. The company reported $1.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.90 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $21.74 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $21.99 billion. Procter & Gamble had a net margin of 17.07% and a return on equity of 33.25%. The company’s revenue was down .6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.83 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Procter & Gamble will post 6.93 earnings per share for the current year.

Procter & Gamble Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 24th will be issued a dividend of $1.0065 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 24th. This represents a $4.03 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.51%. Procter & Gamble’s dividend payout ratio is 69.48%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Balaji Purushothaman sold 12,800 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $168.99, for a total value of $2,163,072.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 11,566 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,954,538.34. This trade represents a 52.53 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO R. Alexandra Keith sold 1,992 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total value of $338,640.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 13,783 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,343,110. This trade represents a 12.63 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 75,439 shares of company stock worth $13,317,460 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Procter & Gamble

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in PG. Fiera Capital Corp grew its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 1,135.1% in the second quarter. Fiera Capital Corp now owns 20,688 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,412,000 after acquiring an additional 19,013 shares in the last quarter. Quest Partners LLC purchased a new position in Procter & Gamble in the second quarter worth $36,000. Paces Ferry Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in Procter & Gamble by 18.1% in the 2nd quarter. Paces Ferry Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,391 shares of the company’s stock valued at $394,000 after purchasing an additional 367 shares during the period. Altrius Capital Management Inc increased its position in shares of Procter & Gamble by 2.5% during the 2nd quarter. Altrius Capital Management Inc now owns 26,695 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,403,000 after purchasing an additional 656 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Miramar Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Procter & Gamble during the 2nd quarter worth $357,000. Institutional investors own 65.77% of the company’s stock.

About Procter & Gamble

Procter & Gamble Co engages in the provision of branded consumer packaged goods. It operates through the following segments: Beauty, Grooming, Health Care, Fabric and Home Care, and Baby, Feminine and Family Care. The Beauty segment offers hair, skin, and personal care. The Grooming segment consists of shave care like female and male blades and razors, pre and post shave products, and appliances.