The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) Stake Lifted by Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS

Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS increased its position in shares of The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) by 1.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 379,044 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,314 shares during the period. Procter & Gamble accounts for about 1.2% of Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th largest holding. Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS’s holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $63,547,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Venturi Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 7.4% in the 4th quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 19,376 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,248,000 after purchasing an additional 1,342 shares in the last quarter. Northstar Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Northstar Asset Management Inc. now owns 4,299 shares of the company’s stock valued at $721,000 after buying an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Fortis Group Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Procter & Gamble by 21.3% during the 4th quarter. Fortis Group Advisors LLC now owns 5,895 shares of the company’s stock valued at $988,000 after acquiring an additional 1,035 shares during the last quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. boosted its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 4.1% during the 4th quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 195,942 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,850,000 after acquiring an additional 7,797 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Citizens & Northern Corp raised its position in shares of Procter & Gamble by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Citizens & Northern Corp now owns 18,526 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,106,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the period. 65.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Procter & Gamble

In other news, insider Marc S. Pritchard sold 90,450 shares of the firm’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 sale, the insider now owns 172,814 shares in the company, valued at approximately $28,313,845.76. This trade represents a 34.36 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 47,847 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $179.84, for a total transaction of $8,604,804.48. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 39,977 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,189,463.68. The trade was a 54.48 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 151,097 shares of company stock worth $25,635,076. 0.18% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Procter & Gamble Trading Down 4.8 %

Shares of NYSE:PG opened at $162.84 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $381.84 billion, a PE ratio of 25.93, a P/E/G ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 0.45. The Procter & Gamble Company has a 1 year low of $153.52 and a 1 year high of $180.43. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $166.51 and a 200 day moving average price of $169.52.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 22nd. The company reported $1.88 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.86 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $21.88 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.66 billion. Procter & Gamble had a return on equity of 33.00% and a net margin of 18.35%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.84 EPS. Analysts expect that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Procter & Gamble Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Investors of record on Friday, January 24th will be issued a dividend of $1.0065 per share. This represents a $4.03 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.47%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 24th. Procter & Gamble’s dividend payout ratio is currently 64.17%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on PG shares. Barclays increased their price target on Procter & Gamble from $155.00 to $159.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $174.00 to $191.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $164.00 price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $186.00 to $181.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, UBS Group decreased their target price on Procter & Gamble from $196.00 to $189.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Procter & Gamble has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $180.53.

Procter & Gamble Company 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.