Baillie Gifford & Co. Acquires 39,801 Shares of The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG)

Baillie Gifford & Co. boosted its holdings in The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) by 4.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 943,875 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 39,801 shares during the quarter. Baillie Gifford & Co.’s holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $158,241,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. AMF Tjanstepension AB increased its stake in Procter & Gamble by 416.1% in the 3rd quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB now owns 1,818,490 shares of the company’s stock valued at $315,016,000 after buying an additional 1,466,115 shares during the last quarter. Swedbank AB increased its stake in Procter & Gamble by 3.9% in the 3rd quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 1,503,647 shares of the company’s stock valued at $260,432,000 after buying an additional 56,583 shares during the last quarter. Howard Capital Management Group LLC increased its stake in Procter & Gamble by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Howard Capital Management Group LLC now owns 8,327 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,442,000 after buying an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. Meridiem Investment Management Ltd. purchased a new stake in Procter & Gamble in the 3rd quarter valued at about $398,000. Finally, First Bancorp Inc ME increased its stake in Procter & Gamble by 8.4% in the 3rd quarter. First Bancorp Inc ME now owns 9,854 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,707,000 after buying an additional 763 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 65.77% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on PG. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $186.00 to $181.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $164.00 price target on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $155.00 to $159.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $196.00 to $189.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $176.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Procter & Gamble has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $180.53.

Insider Transactions at Procter & Gamble

In related news, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 47,847 shares of Procter & Gamble stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $179.84, for a total value of $8,604,804.48. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 39,977 shares in the company, valued at $7,189,463.68. This trade represents a 54.48 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Marc S. Pritchard sold 90,450 shares of Procter & Gamble stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $163.84, for a total transaction of $14,819,328.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 172,814 shares in the company, valued at approximately $28,313,845.76. The trade was a 34.36 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In 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 4.8 %

Shares of NYSE:PG opened at $162.84 on Monday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $166.51 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $169.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 0.76 and a quick ratio of 0.55. The Procter & Gamble Company has a one year low of $153.52 and a one year high of $180.43. The company has a market cap of $381.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.93, a PEG ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 0.45.

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

Procter & Gamble Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 24th will be issued a dividend of $1.0065 per share. This represents a $4.03 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.47%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 24th. Procter & Gamble’s dividend payout ratio is currently 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.