Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) Earns Hold Rating from Analysts at StockNews.com

StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG – Get Rating) in a research note issued to investors on Thursday. The firm issued a hold rating on the business services provider’s stock.

Several other analysts have also recently issued reports on IPG. Citigroup increased their target price on Interpublic Group of Companies from $39.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Interpublic Group of Companies from $38.00 to $39.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Monday, January 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Interpublic Group of Companies from $36.00 to $43.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Thursday, February 9th. Bank of America raised Interpublic Group of Companies from an underperform rating to a neutral rating and increased their price target for the company from $22.00 to $36.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 5th. Finally, Moffett Nathanson lowered Interpublic Group of Companies from an outperform rating to a market perform rating and increased their price target for the company from $36.00 to $37.00 in a research note on Friday, February 10th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $39.25.

Interpublic Group of Companies Stock Performance

NYSE:IPG opened at $33.73 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. Interpublic Group of Companies has a 12-month low of $25.14 and a 12-month high of $39.52. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $36.15 and a 200 day moving average price of $32.33. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.17, a P/E/G ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 1.11.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG – Get Rating) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 9th. The business services provider reported $1.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.01 by $0.01. Interpublic Group of Companies had a return on equity of 30.58% and a net margin of 8.58%. The firm had revenue of $2.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.55 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.82 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up .1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that Interpublic Group of Companies will post 2.81 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Interpublic Group of Companies Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 1st were paid a $0.31 dividend. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.68%. This is a positive change from Interpublic Group of Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 28th. Interpublic Group of Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 52.10%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Andrew Bonzani sold 38,885 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.61, for a total value of $1,384,694.85. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 111,769 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,980,094.09. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, EVP Andrew Bonzani sold 38,885 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.61, for a total transaction of $1,384,694.85. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 111,769 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,980,094.09. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Christopher F. Carroll sold 16,507 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.54, for a total value of $586,658.78. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 55,406 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,969,129.24. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 91,779 shares of company stock valued at $3,250,936 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Interpublic Group of Companies

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Spire Wealth Management lifted its stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 29.7% during the 4th quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 1,153 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 264 shares during the last quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. increased its holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies by 22.2% during the 4th quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 1,734 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $56,000 after purchasing an additional 315 shares during the period. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. increased its holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. now owns 11,732 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $391,000 after purchasing an additional 320 shares during the period. Dakota Wealth Management increased its holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies by 4.2% during the 3rd quarter. Dakota Wealth Management now owns 8,114 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $207,000 after purchasing an additional 329 shares during the period. Finally, Paradigm Financial Partners LLC increased its holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. Paradigm Financial Partners LLC now owns 25,420 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $685,000 after purchasing an additional 380 shares during the period. 96.75% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Interpublic Group of Companies

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Interpublic Group of Cos., Inc engages in the provision of marketing, communications, and business transformation services. It operates through the following segments: Media, Data, and Engagement Solutions, Integrated Advertising and Creativity Led Solutions, and Specialized Communications and Experiential Solutions.