The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) Receives Average Rating of “Reduce” from Brokerages

The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) has been given a consensus rating of “Reduce” by the eight ratings firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, four have issued a hold recommendation and one has given a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $31.71.

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. BNP Paribas lowered shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating in a report on Monday, September 30th. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in a report on Saturday. They set a “hold” rating for the company. Macquarie restated a “neutral” rating and set a $31.00 price target on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Interpublic Group of Companies from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $26.00 to $34.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered Interpublic Group of Companies from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $36.00 to $33.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st.

Interpublic Group of Companies Stock Performance

Interpublic Group of Companies stock opened at $27.74 on Wednesday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $29.20 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $30.15. The company has a quick ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. Interpublic Group of Companies has a twelve month low of $26.88 and a twelve month high of $35.17. The company has a market capitalization of $10.33 billion, a PE ratio of 13.08 and a beta of 1.11.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The business services provider reported $0.70 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.70. The company had revenue of $2.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.30 billion. Interpublic Group of Companies had a return on equity of 27.76% and a net margin of 7.44%. Interpublic Group of Companies’s quarterly revenue was down 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.70 EPS. Research analysts expect that Interpublic Group of Companies will post 2.81 EPS for the current year.

Interpublic Group of Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 2nd were given a $0.33 dividend. This represents a $1.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.76%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 2nd. Interpublic Group of Companies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 62.26%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Benjamin Edwards Inc. increased its stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 73.8% during the second quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 883 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 375 shares in the last quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Interpublic Group of Companies during the third quarter valued at $26,000. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. boosted its holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies by 652.2% in the second quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 1,038 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 900 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in the second quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies during the third quarter valued at $32,000. 98.43% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Interpublic Group of Companies

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.