Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) Stock Rating Lowered by Erste Group Bank

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) was downgraded by analysts at Erste Group Bank from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday, MarketBeat reports.

PG has been the subject of a number of other reports. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $177.00 target price on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. UBS Group raised their price target on Procter & Gamble from $161.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Procter & Gamble from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $157.00 to $165.00 in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Rothschild & Co Redburn upped their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $155.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, TD Cowen lowered shares of Procter & Gamble from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and raised their target price for the company from $150.00 to $156.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Procter & Gamble has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $168.33.

Procter & Gamble Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:PG opened at $143.80 on Tuesday. Procter & Gamble has a 12-month low of $137.62 and a 12-month high of $174.80. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $154.01 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $150.36. The firm has a market cap of $334.18 billion, a PE ratio of 21.30, a PEG ratio of 4.79 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a quick ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 23rd. The company reported $1.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.86 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $22.21 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $22.36 billion. Procter & Gamble had a return on equity of 32.21% and a net margin of 19.30%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.88 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Procter & Gamble will post 6.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Moses Victor Javier Aguilar sold 15,169 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $162.28, for a total value of $2,461,625.32. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 44,735 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,259,595.80. This trade represents a 25.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 36,093 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $162.33, for a total value of $5,858,976.69. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 34,994 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,680,576.02. The trade was a 50.77% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 348,618 shares of company stock valued at $55,462,643 over the last ninety days. 0.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Procter & Gamble

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in PG. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Procter & Gamble during the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 1,000.0% in the 4th quarter. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. now owns 165 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. Park Square Financial Group LLC raised its position in Procter & Gamble by 65.1% in the fourth quarter. Park Square Financial Group LLC now owns 180 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 1,315.4% during the fourth quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. now owns 184 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 171 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Litman Gregory Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Procter & Gamble during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Institutional investors own 65.77% of the company’s stock.

About Procter & Gamble

Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG) is a multinational consumer goods company headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in 1837 by William Procter and James Gamble, P&G has grown into one of the world’s largest producers of branded consumer packaged goods. The company focuses on developing, manufacturing and marketing a broad portfolio of household and personal care products sold to consumers and retailers worldwide.

P&G’s product offering spans several core business categories, including Beauty, Grooming, Health Care, Fabric & Home Care, and Baby, Feminine & Family Care.