The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) Stake Reduced by Hartford Investment Management Co.

Hartford Investment Management Co. trimmed its stake in The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) by 1.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 145,496 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,616 shares during the quarter. Procter & Gamble makes up about 0.8% of Hartford Investment Management Co.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 18th largest holding. Hartford Investment Management Co.’s holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $24,392,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. AMF Tjanstepension AB boosted its position in shares of Procter & Gamble by 416.1% during the third quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB now owns 1,818,490 shares of the company’s stock worth $315,016,000 after buying an additional 1,466,115 shares during the period. Fiduciary Alliance LLC raised its stake in Procter & Gamble by 111.1% during the 3rd quarter. Fiduciary Alliance LLC now owns 4,773 shares of the company’s stock valued at $827,000 after acquiring an additional 2,512 shares in the last quarter. CX Institutional boosted its position in Procter & Gamble by 15.0% during the 3rd quarter. CX Institutional now owns 48,202 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,349,000 after acquiring an additional 6,299 shares during the period. Creative Planning grew its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 3.5% in the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 1,393,443 shares of the company’s stock worth $241,344,000 after purchasing an additional 47,551 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Iams Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 9.8% during the third quarter. Iams Wealth Management LLC now owns 12,262 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,124,000 after purchasing an additional 1,094 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.77% of the company’s stock.

Procter & Gamble Stock Performance

Shares of PG opened at $169.53 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 0.76 and a quick ratio of 0.55. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $167.06 and its 200 day moving average price is $169.44. The company has a market capitalization of $397.52 billion, a PE ratio of 26.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 0.45. The Procter & Gamble Company has a one year low of $153.52 and a one year high of $180.43.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The company reported $1.88 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.86 by $0.02. Procter & Gamble had a net margin of 18.35% and a return on equity of 33.00%. The firm had revenue of $21.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $21.66 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.84 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts expect that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Procter & Gamble Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 24th will be given a dividend of $1.0065 per share. This represents a $4.03 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.37%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 24th. Procter & Gamble’s dividend payout ratio is presently 64.17%.

Insider Activity at Procter & Gamble

In other news, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 47,847 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $179.84, for a total transaction of $8,604,804.48. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 39,977 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,189,463.68. This trade represents a 54.48 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Marc S. Pritchard sold 90,450 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $163.84, for a total value of $14,819,328.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 172,814 shares in the company, 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. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 151,097 shares of company stock worth $25,635,076. 0.18% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently weighed in on PG. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $186.00 to $181.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Evercore ISI increased their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $180.00 to $183.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and set a $164.00 price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Procter & Gamble from $176.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, UBS Group lowered their price target on Procter & Gamble from $196.00 to $189.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $180.53.

Procter & Gamble Company 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.