The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) Sees Significant Growth in Short Interest

The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest during the month of February. As of February 15th, there was short interest totalling 19,600,000 shares, a growth of 22.4% from the January 31st total of 16,010,000 shares. Approximately 0.8% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 7,120,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.8 days.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Procter & Gamble news, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 35,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $173.68, for a total transaction of $6,078,800.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 22,051 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,829,817.68. The trade was a 61.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Marc S. Pritchard sold 90,450 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $163.84, for a total value of $14,819,328.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 172,814 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $28,313,845.76. The trade was a 34.36 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 143,450 shares of company stock worth $23,988,008. 0.18% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Procter & Gamble

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. NewSquare Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 933.3% during the fourth quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 155 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 140 shares during the period. Navigoe LLC acquired a new stake in Procter & Gamble in the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Capital A Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Procter & Gamble during the 4th quarter worth $31,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble in the 3rd quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, Hoey Investments Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 321.7% in the fourth quarter. Hoey Investments Inc. now owns 194 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 148 shares during the period. 65.77% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently issued reports on PG shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $186.00 to $181.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 16th. DA Davidson restated a “buy” rating and set a $209.00 price target on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Barclays boosted their price objective on Procter & Gamble from $155.00 to $159.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Piper Sandler dropped their target price on Procter & Gamble from $173.00 to $172.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 24th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $181.11.

Procter & Gamble Stock Performance

PG traded up $0.64 during trading on Friday, hitting $175.30. 5,740,483 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,341,034. The firm has a market capitalization of $411.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.89, a PEG ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.45. Procter & Gamble has a 1-year low of $153.52 and a 1-year high of $180.43. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $166.72 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $169.72. The company has a quick ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The company reported $1.88 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.86 by $0.02. Procter & Gamble had a net margin of 18.35% and a return on equity of 33.00%. The firm had revenue of $21.88 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.66 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.84 EPS. Procter & Gamble’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Procter & Gamble will post 6.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Procter & Gamble Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 24th were issued a $1.0065 dividend. This represents a $4.03 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.30%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 24th. Procter & Gamble’s payout ratio is currently 64.01%.

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.