The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) Shares Sold by Baxter Bros Inc.

Baxter Bros Inc. decreased its stake in The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) by 0.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 104,789 shares of the company’s stock after selling 184 shares during the period. Procter & Gamble makes up 2.2% of Baxter Bros Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 14th largest holding. Baxter Bros Inc.’s holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $15,356,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in PG. Wyrmwood Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Naples Money Management LLC purchased a new position in Procter & Gamble during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Criterion Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble in the fourth quarter worth $33,000. Mendota Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 636.6% in the fourth quarter. Mendota Financial Group LLC now owns 302 shares of the company’s stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 261 shares during the last quarter. Finally, DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Procter & Gamble in the fourth quarter valued at $56,000. 65.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Procter & Gamble Trading Up 0.4 %

Shares of Procter & Gamble stock traded up $0.62 during trading on Friday, hitting $164.46. 5,581,692 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,941,715. The firm has a market capitalization of $388.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.34 and a beta of 0.43. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $160.01 and its 200 day moving average price is $154.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 0.69 and a quick ratio of 0.48. The Procter & Gamble Company has a 1-year low of $141.45 and a 1-year high of $164.71.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 19th. The company reported $1.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.42 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $20.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.43 billion. Procter & Gamble had a return on equity of 33.91% and a net margin of 18.00%. Procter & Gamble’s quarterly revenue was up .6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.37 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Procter & Gamble Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 19th will be given a dividend of $1.0065 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 18th. This is a boost from Procter & Gamble’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.94. This represents a $4.03 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.45%. Procter & Gamble’s payout ratio is 65.85%.

Insider Activity

In other Procter & Gamble news, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 22,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.32, for a total transaction of $3,549,040.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 36,845 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,943,835.40. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. In related news, CEO R. Alexandra Keith sold 776 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $158.11, for a total transaction of $122,693.36. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 4,859 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $768,256.49. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 22,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.32, for a total transaction of $3,549,040.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 36,845 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,943,835.40. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 86,865 shares of company stock worth $14,059,180 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

PG has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. StockNews.com lowered shares of Procter & Gamble from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 29th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on Procter & Gamble from $155.00 to $157.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 24th. Argus increased their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $180.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 25th. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $172.00 to $178.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 24th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on shares of Procter & Gamble in a report on Friday, March 1st. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $168.00 price target on the stock. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $169.76.

About Procter & Gamble

The Procter & Gamble Company provides branded consumer packaged goods worldwide. It 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, and SK-II brands.