Foster & Motley Inc. Boosts Holdings in The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG)

Foster & Motley Inc. increased its position in The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) by 1.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 31,695 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 488 shares during the quarter. Foster & Motley Inc.’s holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies were worth $1,035,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Black Creek Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 14.1% in the third quarter. Black Creek Investment Management Inc. now owns 9,722,563 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $278,649,000 after acquiring an additional 1,204,630 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. raised its position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 24.6% in the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 4,635,459 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $132,852,000 after purchasing an additional 916,574 shares in the last quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd boosted its stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 212.9% during the 3rd quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 827,224 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $23,708,000 after buying an additional 562,823 shares during the last quarter. Gradient Investments LLC grew its position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 1,439,200.0% during the fourth quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 503,755 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $16,443,000 after buying an additional 503,720 shares in the last quarter. Finally, QRG Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in the third quarter worth $14,408,000. 98.43% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Interpublic Group of Companies Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE IPG opened at $30.99 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $31.94 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $31.35. The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $27.20 and a 52-week high of $40.95. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.87, a P/E/G ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.13.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The business services provider reported $1.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.16 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $2.59 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.57 billion. Interpublic Group of Companies had a return on equity of 30.52% and a net margin of 10.09%. The business’s revenue was up 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.02 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. will post 2.78 earnings per share for the current year.

Interpublic Group of Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Investors of record on Friday, March 1st were given a $0.33 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 29th. This is an increase from Interpublic Group of Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.26%. Interpublic Group of Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 46.32%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have commented on IPG. UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in a research note on Thursday, January 11th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $36.00 price objective on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from $31.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 9th. Barclays boosted their price objective on Interpublic Group of Companies from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, January 29th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on Interpublic Group of Companies from $38.00 to $37.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 9th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Interpublic Group of Companies currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $35.25.

Insider Buying and Selling at Interpublic Group of Companies

In other Interpublic Group of Companies news, CFO Ellen Tobi Johnson sold 40,393 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.20, for a total value of $1,300,654.60. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 88,350 shares in the company, valued at $2,844,870. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, CFO Ellen Tobi Johnson sold 40,393 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.20, for a total value of $1,300,654.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 88,350 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,844,870. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Philippe Krakowsky sold 150,403 shares of Interpublic Group of Companies stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.20, for a total transaction of $4,842,976.60. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 415,776 shares in the company, valued at $13,387,987.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 249,646 shares of company stock valued at $8,038,601 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.42% of the company’s stock.

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.