Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) Coverage Initiated by Analysts at StockNews.com

StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) in a report issued on Thursday. The brokerage issued a hold rating on the business services provider’s stock.

IPG has been the subject of several other research reports. BNP Paribas lowered shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research report on Monday, September 30th. UBS Group downgraded Interpublic Group of Companies from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $34.00 to $29.00 in a report on Thursday, September 12th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Interpublic Group of Companies from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $26.00 to $34.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Bank of America dropped their price target on Interpublic Group of Companies from $36.00 to $35.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, September 5th. Finally, Macquarie reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $31.00 price objective on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Interpublic Group of Companies has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $31.71.

Interpublic Group of Companies Stock Up 1.5 %

Shares of NYSE IPG opened at $29.07 on Thursday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $29.86 and its 200 day moving average price is $30.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a current ratio of 1.09. The firm has a market cap of $10.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.71 and a beta of 1.10. Interpublic Group of Companies has a 1 year low of $26.88 and a 1 year high of $35.17.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The business services provider reported $0.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.70. Interpublic Group of Companies had a return on equity of 27.76% and a net margin of 7.44%. The firm had revenue of $2.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.30 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.70 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Interpublic Group of Companies will post 2.81 earnings per share for the current year.

Interpublic Group of Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Investors of record on Monday, December 2nd were issued a dividend of $0.33 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.54%. Interpublic Group of Companies’s payout ratio is currently 62.26%.

Institutional Trading of Interpublic Group of Companies

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of IPG. Benjamin Edwards Inc. increased its stake in Interpublic Group of Companies by 73.8% during the 2nd quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 883 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 375 shares during the period. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Interpublic Group of Companies in the third quarter valued at about $26,000. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. grew its stake in Interpublic Group of Companies by 652.2% during the 2nd quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 1,038 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 900 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Interpublic Group of Companies during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.43% 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.