The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) Position Increased by Rakuten Securities Inc.

Rakuten Securities Inc. raised its stake in The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) by 25.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,506 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 305 shares during the quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc.’s holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $252,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. NewSquare Capital LLC grew its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 933.3% in the 4th quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 155 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares during the last quarter. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new stake in shares of Procter & Gamble during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Noble Wealth Management PBC bought a new stake in shares of Procter & Gamble in the 4th quarter valued at about $39,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Procter & Gamble by 972.0% in the 4th quarter. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC now owns 268 shares of the company’s stock valued at $45,000 after buying an additional 243 shares during the last quarter. Finally, New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble during the 4th quarter worth approximately $46,000. 65.77% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Procter & Gamble Stock Down 1.8 %

NYSE:PG opened at $173.07 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The Procter & Gamble Company has a 52 week low of $153.52 and a 52 week high of $180.43. The stock has a market capitalization of $405.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.41. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $167.14 and its two-hundred day moving average is $169.84.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The company reported $1.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.86 by $0.02. Procter & Gamble had a net margin of 18.35% and a return on equity of 33.00%. The business had revenue of $21.88 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.66 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.84 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.91 EPS for the current year.

Procter & Gamble Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 24th were paid a $1.0065 dividend. This represents a $4.03 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.33%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 24th. Procter & Gamble’s payout ratio is 64.01%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have commented on PG shares. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on Procter & Gamble from $161.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $155.00 to $159.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and set a $164.00 price target on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Procter & Gamble from $176.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $181.47.

Insider Activity at Procter & Gamble

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

Procter & Gamble Profile

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.