Sentry Investment Management LLC Sells 1,226 Shares of The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG)

Sentry Investment Management LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) by 11.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 9,242 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,226 shares during the quarter. Procter & Gamble accounts for 0.7% of Sentry Investment Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 19th biggest position. Sentry Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $1,549,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Stack Financial Management Inc lifted its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Stack Financial Management Inc now owns 98,272 shares of the company’s stock valued at $16,475,000 after purchasing an additional 962 shares in the last quarter. Brown Financial Advisors grew its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 83.3% during the 4th quarter. Brown Financial Advisors now owns 19,600 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,286,000 after acquiring an additional 8,905 shares in the last quarter. Wrapmanager Inc. lifted its position in shares of Procter & Gamble by 3.4% in the fourth quarter. Wrapmanager Inc. now owns 11,658 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,955,000 after purchasing an additional 384 shares in the last quarter. Mengis Capital Management Inc. grew its position in Procter & Gamble by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Mengis Capital Management Inc. now owns 19,433 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,258,000 after purchasing an additional 182 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pine Valley Investments Ltd Liability Co boosted its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 4.7% during the 4th quarter. Pine Valley Investments Ltd Liability Co now owns 34,853 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,843,000 after buying an additional 1,551 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 65.77% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Procter & Gamble

In other Procter & Gamble news, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 47,847 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owns 39,977 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,189,463.68. This trade represents a 54.48 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Marc S. Pritchard sold 90,450 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 23rd. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $28,313,845.76. The trade was a 34.36 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Procter & Gamble in a report on Monday, February 10th. DA Davidson reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $209.00 price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and issued a $164.00 target price on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $161.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $186.00 to $181.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Eight investment 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $180.42.

Procter & Gamble Stock Performance

NYSE:PG opened at $170.41 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $166.02 and a 200 day simple moving average of $169.44. The stock has a market cap of $399.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.14, a PEG ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.45. The Procter & Gamble Company has a 1-year low of $153.52 and a 1-year high of $180.43. The company has a current ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50.

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

Procter & Gamble Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 24th were given a dividend of $1.0065 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 24th. This represents a $4.03 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.36%. Procter & Gamble’s payout ratio is presently 64.01%.

Procter & Gamble Profile

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.