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

Bailard Inc. reduced its holdings in shares of The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) by 3.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 146,621 shares of the company’s stock after selling 5,496 shares during the period. Bailard Inc.’s holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $24,581,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Norden Group LLC increased its position in Procter & Gamble by 9.5% during the 4th quarter. Norden Group LLC now owns 20,319 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,406,000 after buying an additional 1,769 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 30.6% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 30,852 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,155,000 after purchasing an additional 7,221 shares during the period. Bridges Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 3.3% in the fourth quarter. Bridges Investment Management Inc. now owns 43,782 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,340,000 after purchasing an additional 1,407 shares during the period. Maia Wealth LLC increased its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 13.0% in the fourth quarter. Maia Wealth LLC now owns 4,358 shares of the company’s stock valued at $738,000 after purchasing an additional 503 shares during the period. Finally, Hickory Point Bank & Trust acquired a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble in the fourth quarter valued at about $849,000. 65.77% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 18,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $171.66, for a total value of $3,089,880.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 22,051 shares in the company, valued at $3,785,274.66. This trade represents a 44.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Marc S. Pritchard sold 90,450 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 23rd. The shares were 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 owns 172,814 shares in the company, valued at approximately $28,313,845.76. This trade represents a 34.36 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Procter & Gamble Stock Performance

Shares of PG stock opened at $173.84 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $407.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.68, a P/E/G ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.45. The business’s 50 day moving average is $166.29 and its two-hundred day moving average is $169.56. The company has a current ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The Procter & Gamble Company has a 12-month low of $153.52 and a 12-month high of $180.43.

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

Procter & Gamble Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 24th were given a $1.0065 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 24th. This represents a $4.03 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.32%. Procter & Gamble’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 64.01%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on PG. Barclays increased their price objective on Procter & Gamble from $155.00 to $159.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Piper Sandler cut their price objective on Procter & Gamble from $173.00 to $172.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 24th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and issued a $164.00 price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on Procter & Gamble from $161.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Procter & Gamble from $176.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $181.11.

About Procter & Gamble

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.