Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. Reduces Stock Position in Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE:OMC)

Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. lessened its holdings in Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE:OMC) by 1.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 28,687 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 331 shares during the quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd.’s holdings in Omnicom Group were worth $2,468,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. World Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in Omnicom Group by 209.7% during the third quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC now owns 26,311 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $2,720,000 after acquiring an additional 17,815 shares in the last quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Omnicom Group during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $713,000. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lifted its stake in shares of Omnicom Group by 40.9% in the 3rd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 29,750 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $3,077,000 after purchasing an additional 8,643 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in Omnicom Group by 19.7% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 231,068 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $23,860,000 after buying an additional 38,022 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH grew its position in Omnicom Group by 15.4% during the fourth quarter. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH now owns 376,701 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $32,411,000 after buying an additional 50,153 shares during the period. 91.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have weighed in on OMC shares. UBS Group lowered their target price on shares of Omnicom Group from $117.00 to $104.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. Argus downgraded Omnicom Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Omnicom Group from $110.00 to $99.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Omnicom Group from $119.00 to $116.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Barclays dropped their price target on shares of Omnicom Group from $121.00 to $110.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $105.75.

Omnicom Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE OMC opened at $80.38 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $83.53 and a 200-day simple moving average of $92.81. The company has a quick ratio of 0.90, a current ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.27. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 0.98. Omnicom Group Inc. has a 52 week low of $78.69 and a 52 week high of $107.00.

Omnicom Group (NYSE:OMC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The business services provider reported $2.41 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.38 by $0.03. Omnicom Group had a net margin of 9.44% and a return on equity of 36.39%. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.20 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Omnicom Group Inc. will post 8.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Omnicom Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 9th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 11th will be issued a $0.70 dividend. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.48%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 11th. Omnicom Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 37.58%.

Omnicom Group Company Profile

Omnicom Group Inc, together with its subsidiaries, offers advertising, marketing, and corporate communications services. It provides a range of services in the areas of advertising and media, precision marketing, commerce and branding, experiential, execution and support, public relations, and healthcare.