The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) Insider Balaji Purushothaman Sells 28,369 Shares

The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) insider Balaji Purushothaman sold 28,369 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.49, for a total transaction of $4,581,309.81. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 11,507 shares in the company, valued at $1,858,265.43. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink.

Procter & Gamble Stock Performance

Shares of Procter & Gamble stock opened at $162.58 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49. The firm has a market capitalization of $383.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.57, a P/E/G ratio of 3.28 and a beta of 0.44. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $159.46 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $153.32. The Procter & Gamble Company has a 12 month low of $141.45 and a 12 month high of $163.14.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 19th. The company reported $1.52 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.42 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $20.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.43 billion. Procter & Gamble had a return on equity of 33.91% and a net margin of 18.00%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up .6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.37 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Procter & Gamble Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 19th will be given a dividend of $1.0065 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 18th. This represents a $4.03 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.48%. This is a positive change from Procter & Gamble’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.94. Procter & Gamble’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 65.85%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

PG has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $162.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $169.00 to $162.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 18th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $155.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 24th. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $172.00 to $178.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 24th. Finally, Raymond James raised their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $170.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 24th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $168.81.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Procter & Gamble

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Advantage Trust Co purchased a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble in the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Naples Money Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble in the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Wyrmwood Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble in the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Transcendent Capital Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble in the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble in the 4th quarter worth about $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.77% of the company’s stock.

Procter & Gamble Company Profile

The Procter & Gamble Company provides branded consumer packaged goods worldwide. It operates through five segments: Beauty; Grooming; Health Care; Fabric & Home Care; and Baby, Feminine & Family Care. The Beauty segment offers conditioners, shampoos, styling aids, and treatments under the Head & Shoulders, Herbal Essences, Pantene, and Rejoice brands; and antiperspirants and deodorants, personal cleansing, and skin care products under the Olay, Old Spice, Safeguard, Secret, and SK-II brands.