Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) Releases Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.01 EPS

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) released its earnings results on Wednesday. The business services provider reported $0.36 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.35 by $0.01, RTT News reports. The firm had revenue of $2.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.18 billion. Interpublic Group of Companies had a net margin of 10.09% and a return on equity of 30.52%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.38 EPS.

Interpublic Group of Companies Trading Up 0.9 %

Interpublic Group of Companies stock traded up $0.27 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $31.26. 1,544,029 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,019,325. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $31.94 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $31.35. Interpublic Group of Companies has a 52 week low of $27.20 and a 52 week high of $40.95. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.80 billion, a PE ratio of 10.87, a P/E/G ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73.

Interpublic Group of Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 1st were given a dividend of $0.33 per share. The ex-dividend date 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.22%. Interpublic Group of Companies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 46.32%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Andrew Bonzani sold 40,468 shares of Interpublic Group of Companies stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.20, for a total transaction of $1,303,069.60. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 70,431 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,267,878.20. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other Interpublic Group of Companies news, CAO Christopher F. Carroll sold 18,382 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 transaction of $591,900.40. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 42,390 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,364,958. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Andrew Bonzani sold 40,468 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.20, for a total transaction of $1,303,069.60. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 70,431 shares in the company, valued at $2,267,878.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 249,646 shares of company stock valued at $8,038,601 in the last 90 days. 0.42% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

IPG has been the topic of several analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from $38.00 to $37.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 9th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from $31.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, February 9th. UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in a report on Thursday, January 11th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $36.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, January 29th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Interpublic Group of Companies presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $35.25.

Interpublic Group of Companies Company Profile

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.