Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) Stock Price Up 0.2% – Should You Buy?

Shares of The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) were up 0.2% on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $167.06 and last traded at $166.29. Approximately 1,426,994 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 79% from the average daily volume of 6,641,031 shares. The stock had previously closed at $166.03.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

PG has been the subject of several recent research reports. DA Davidson increased their price target on Procter & Gamble from $159.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Wolfe Research raised Procter & Gamble to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 23rd. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and set a $164.00 price target on shares of Procter & Gamble in a report on Monday, October 21st. Jefferies Financial Group cut shares of Procter & Gamble from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $182.00 to $175.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. Finally, Dbs Bank lowered Procter & Gamble from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $177.00.

Procter & Gamble Trading Down 0.1 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 0.75 and a quick ratio of 0.55. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $170.97 and a 200-day moving average price of $168.26. The company has a market capitalization of $390.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.63 and a beta of 0.42.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, October 18th. The company reported $1.93 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.90 by $0.03. Procter & Gamble had a return on equity of 33.25% and a net margin of 17.07%. The company had revenue of $21.74 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.99 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.83 earnings per share. Procter & Gamble’s revenue was down .6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Procter & Gamble Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 15th. Investors of record on Friday, October 18th will be paid a $1.0065 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 18th. This represents a $4.03 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.43%. Procter & Gamble’s payout ratio is 69.31%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Susan Street Whaley sold 450 shares of Procter & Gamble stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $169.22, for a total value of $76,149.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 13,072 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,212,043.84. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In related news, insider Susan Street Whaley sold 450 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $169.22, for a total transaction of $76,149.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 13,072 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,212,043.84. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Balaji Purushothaman sold 12,800 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $168.99, for a total value of $2,163,072.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 11,566 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,954,538.34. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 313,597 shares of company stock worth $53,268,499. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Procter & Gamble

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. purchased a new position in Procter & Gamble in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Fairway Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble in the 2nd quarter valued at $29,000. POM Investment Strategies LLC acquired a new position in Procter & Gamble during the second quarter worth approximately $34,000. Quest Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Procter & Gamble in the second quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Finally, Fairfield Financial Advisors LTD purchased a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble during the second quarter worth approximately $44,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.77% of the company’s stock.

Procter & Gamble Company Profile

The Procter & Gamble Company engages in the provision of branded consumer packaged goods worldwide. The company operates through five segments: Beauty; Grooming; Health Care; Fabric & Home Care; and Baby, Feminine & Family Care. The Beauty segment offers conditioners, shampoos, styling aids, and treatments under the Head & Shoulders, Herbal Essences, Pantene, and Rejoice brands; and antiperspirants and deodorants, personal cleansing, and skin care products under the Olay, Old Spice, Safeguard, Secret, SK-II, and Native brands.