The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) Receives Consensus Rating of “Hold” from Analysts

Shares of The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) have been assigned an average rating of “Hold” from the ten research firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $33.67.

Several research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Citigroup restated a “buy” rating and set a $35.00 target price on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in a research report on Tuesday. BNP Paribas upgraded Interpublic Group of Companies from an “underperform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $38.00 price target on the stock in a report on Friday, January 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Interpublic Group of Companies from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $32.00 to $39.00 in a report on Monday, January 27th. UBS Group raised Interpublic Group of Companies from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their target price for the company from $29.00 to $27.00 in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, StockNews.com started coverage on Interpublic Group of Companies in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. They set a “hold” rating for the company.

Insider Transactions at Interpublic Group of Companies

In other news, CFO Ellen Tobi Johnson sold 21,427 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.82, for a total transaction of $574,672.14. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 143,373 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,845,263.86. This represents a 13.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.42% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Donaldson Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies by 19.9% in the first quarter. Donaldson Capital Management LLC now owns 31,532 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $856,000 after buying an additional 5,226 shares during the period. CX Institutional acquired a new position in Interpublic Group of Companies in the first quarter valued at approximately $179,000. SG Americas Securities LLC grew its position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 462.1% during the 1st quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 114,134 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $3,100,000 after buying an additional 93,829 shares during the period. International Private Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 7.5% in the 1st quarter. International Private Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 10,133 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $275,000 after acquiring an additional 711 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tounjian Advisory Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in the 1st quarter valued at $934,000. 98.43% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Interpublic Group of Companies Trading Up 0.5 %

NYSE:IPG opened at $25.13 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. Interpublic Group of Companies has a 52-week low of $22.51 and a 52-week high of $33.05. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $26.33 and its 200 day moving average price is $28.31. The company has a market capitalization of $9.36 billion, a PE ratio of 13.73 and a beta of 1.01.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The business services provider reported $1.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.15 by ($0.04). Interpublic Group of Companies had a return on equity of 27.10% and a net margin of 6.45%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Interpublic Group of Companies will post 2.66 EPS for the current year.

Interpublic Group of Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a dividend of $0.33 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $1.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.25%. Interpublic Group of Companies’s payout ratio is presently 72.13%.

Interpublic Group of Companies announced that its board has initiated a share repurchase plan on Wednesday, February 12th that authorizes the company to repurchase $155.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the business services provider to buy up to 1.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

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.