Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. Buys 18,891 Shares of The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG)

Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. boosted its stake in The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) by 121.3% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 34,463 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 18,891 shares during the quarter. Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P.’s holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies were worth $966,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of IPG. Allworth Financial LP boosted its position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 75.8% during the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,113 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 480 shares during the last quarter. OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies during the 4th quarter valued at about $36,000. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies during the 3rd quarter valued at about $60,000. Transamerica Financial Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 243,700.0% during the 3rd quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 2,438 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $78,000 after acquiring an additional 2,437 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies during the 3rd quarter valued at about $107,000. Institutional investors own 98.43% of the company’s stock.

Interpublic Group of Companies Stock Up 0.1 %

NYSE IPG opened at $26.51 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $27.53 and its 200-day moving average price is $29.11. The company has a quick ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $25.85 and a 52 week high of $33.27. The company has a market capitalization of $9.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.48 and a beta of 1.14.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The business services provider reported $1.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.15 by ($0.04). Interpublic Group of Companies had a net margin of 6.45% and a return on equity of 27.10%. On average, equities research analysts predict that The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. will post 2.66 earnings per share for the current year.

Interpublic Group of Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a dividend of $0.33 per share. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.98%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. Interpublic Group of Companies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 72.13%.

Interpublic Group of Companies announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback plan on Wednesday, February 12th that permits the company to buyback $155.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization permits the business services provider to purchase up to 1.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are often an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the company. UBS Group upgraded Interpublic Group of Companies from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $29.00 to $27.00 in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Barclays upgraded Interpublic Group of Companies from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $32.00 to $36.00 in a research report on Friday, January 24th. BNP Paribas upgraded Interpublic Group of Companies from an “underperform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $38.00 target price for the company in a research report on Friday, January 10th. StockNews.com began coverage on Interpublic Group of Companies in a research report on Monday, March 17th. They issued a “hold” rating for the company. Finally, Argus cut Interpublic Group of Companies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $33.50.

Insider Buying and Selling at Interpublic Group of Companies

In other news, CFO Ellen Tobi Johnson sold 21,427 shares of Interpublic Group of Companies stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.82, for a total value of $574,672.14. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 143,373 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,845,263.86. The trade was a 13.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.42% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Interpublic Group of Companies Profile

The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc provides advertising and marketing services worldwide. It operates in three segments: Media, Data & Engagement Solutions, Integrated Advertising & Creativity Led Solutions, and Specialized Communications & Experiential Solutions. The Media, Data & Engagement Solutions segment provides media and communications services, digital services and products, advertising and marketing technology, e-commerce services, data management and analytics, strategic consulting, and digital brand experience under the IPG Mediabrands, UM, Initiative, Kinesso, Acxiom, Huge, MRM, and R/GA brand names.