Interpublic Group of Companies Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NYSE:IPG)

The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) saw unusually large options trading activity on Friday. Stock traders bought 8,085 put options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 1,414% compared to the average daily volume of 534 put options.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on IPG shares. Macquarie reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $31.00 price objective on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. StockNews.com raised Interpublic Group of Companies from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, November 9th. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from $32.50 to $32.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price target for the company from $36.00 to $33.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, BNP Paribas lowered shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research report on Monday, September 30th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $30.57.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Interpublic Group of Companies

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of IPG. State Street Corp boosted its stake in Interpublic Group of Companies by 15.1% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 29,844,859 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $943,993,000 after buying an additional 3,920,975 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC grew its holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies by 571.7% in the second quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 1,466,376 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $42,657,000 after purchasing an additional 1,248,062 shares during the period. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board increased its position in Interpublic Group of Companies by 19.8% during the second quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 5,436,803 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $158,157,000 after purchasing an additional 899,332 shares during the last quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. raised its stake in Interpublic Group of Companies by 101.9% during the first quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 1,690,523 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $55,162,000 after purchasing an additional 853,287 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 13.8% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 6,842,846 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $199,063,000 after purchasing an additional 828,150 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.43% of the company’s stock.

Interpublic Group of Companies Trading Down 7.2 %

Shares of Interpublic Group of Companies stock opened at $27.10 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $30.70 and a 200 day moving average price of $30.62. The company has a market capitalization of $10.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.78 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.09 and a quick ratio of 1.09. Interpublic Group of Companies has a 1 year low of $27.01 and a 1 year high of $35.17.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 22nd. The business services provider reported $0.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.70. The business had revenue of $2.24 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.30 billion. Interpublic Group of Companies had a return on equity of 27.76% and a net margin of 7.44%. The business’s revenue was down 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.70 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Interpublic Group of Companies will post 2.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Interpublic Group of Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 2nd will be issued a dividend of $0.33 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $1.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.87%. Interpublic Group of Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 62.26%.

Interpublic Group of Companies Company 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.