The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) Shares Sold by Country Trust Bank

Country Trust Bank decreased its position in shares of The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) by 12.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 256,779 shares of the company’s stock after selling 37,145 shares during the quarter. Procter & Gamble accounts for approximately 1.1% of Country Trust Bank’s portfolio, making the stock its 28th largest holding. Country Trust Bank’s holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $43,049,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Integris Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Integris Wealth Management LLC now owns 8,371 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,403,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares during the period. AA Financial Advisors LLC grew its stake in Procter & Gamble by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. AA Financial Advisors LLC now owns 7,317 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,227,000 after acquiring an additional 223 shares during the period. Evernest Financial Advisors LLC grew its stake in Procter & Gamble by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Evernest Financial Advisors LLC now owns 6,492 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,088,000 after acquiring an additional 93 shares during the period. Granite Harbor Advisors Inc. grew its stake in Procter & Gamble by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. Granite Harbor Advisors Inc. now owns 2,690 shares of the company’s stock valued at $451,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares during the period. Finally, FSA Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Procter & Gamble in the 4th quarter valued at $220,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.77% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently issued reports on PG. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $180.00 to $183.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and issued a $164.00 price target on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $174.00 to $191.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Hsbc Global Res upgraded Procter & Gamble to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 4th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on Procter & Gamble from $161.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Procter & Gamble presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $180.53.

Procter & Gamble Stock Down 0.9 %

NYSE PG opened at $165.98 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $389.20 billion, a PE ratio of 26.43, a P/E/G ratio of 3.73 and a beta of 0.45. The Procter & Gamble Company has a 52 week low of $153.52 and a 52 week high of $180.43. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $168.54 and its 200-day simple moving average is $169.38. The company has a quick ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50.

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

Procter & Gamble Announces Dividend

The business 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 $1.0065 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 24th. This represents a $4.03 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.43%. Procter & Gamble’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 64.17%.

Insider Activity at Procter & Gamble

In related news, insider Balaji Purushothaman sold 12,800 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $172.73, for a total value of $2,210,944.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 11,595 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,002,804.35. The trade was a 52.47 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 47,847 shares of Procter & Gamble stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $179.84, for a total value of $8,604,804.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 39,977 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,189,463.68. This represents a 54.48 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 151,097 shares of company stock worth $25,635,076. Company insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

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.