Essex LLC Sells 937 Shares of The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG)

Essex LLC lessened its holdings in The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) by 4.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 20,755 shares of the company’s stock after selling 937 shares during the period. Essex LLC’s holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $3,479,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Stockman Wealth Management Inc. grew its stake in Procter & Gamble by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. Stockman Wealth Management Inc. now owns 68,313 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,453,000 after buying an additional 1,648 shares during the last quarter. Rede Wealth LLC increased its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Rede Wealth LLC now owns 6,804 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,141,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. Howland Capital Management LLC raised its position in Procter & Gamble by 6.9% in the 4th quarter. Howland Capital Management LLC now owns 118,164 shares of the company’s stock valued at $19,810,000 after purchasing an additional 7,630 shares during the last quarter. Richard C. Young & CO. LTD. lifted its position in Procter & Gamble by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. Richard C. Young & CO. LTD. now owns 123,853 shares of the company’s stock worth $20,764,000 after buying an additional 2,568 shares in the last quarter. Finally, WCM Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 148.8% in the fourth quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC now owns 25,669 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,289,000 after acquiring an additional 15,351 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 65.77% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and set a $164.00 price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $174.00 to $191.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $161.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $180.00 to $183.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Finally, DA Davidson restated a “buy” rating and issued a $209.00 price target on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Procter & Gamble presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $180.53.

Insider Activity at Procter & Gamble

In related news, insider Balaji Purushothaman sold 12,800 shares of the firm’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 completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 11,595 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,002,804.35. This trade represents a 52.47 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Marc S. Pritchard sold 90,450 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $163.84, for a total value of $14,819,328.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 172,814 shares in the company, valued at approximately $28,313,845.76. This trade represents a 34.36 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 151,097 shares of company stock valued at $25,635,076. Insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Procter & Gamble Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of Procter & Gamble stock opened at $167.99 on Friday. The Procter & Gamble Company has a 52-week low of $153.52 and a 52-week high of $180.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a current ratio of 0.76. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $167.30 and its 200 day simple moving average is $169.40. The firm has a market cap of $393.91 billion, a PE ratio of 26.75, a P/E/G ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 0.45.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The company reported $1.88 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.86 by $0.02. Procter & Gamble had a net margin of 18.35% and a return on equity of 33.00%. The business had revenue of $21.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $21.66 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.84 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Procter & Gamble Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 24th. This represents a $4.03 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.40%. Procter & Gamble’s payout ratio is presently 64.17%.

About Procter & Gamble

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.