Great Lakes Retirement Inc. Acquires 387 Shares of The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG)

Great Lakes Retirement Inc. boosted its holdings in The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) by 3.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 10,198 shares of the business services provider’s stock after buying an additional 387 shares during the quarter. Great Lakes Retirement Inc.’s holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies were worth $333,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Compass Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Interpublic Group of Companies during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Clear Street Markets LLC lifted its holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies by 94.9% in the first quarter. Clear Street Markets LLC now owns 764 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 372 shares during the period. Resurgent Financial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies during the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. First Manhattan CO. LLC. lifted its stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 1,176.5% in the 1st quarter. First Manhattan CO. LLC. now owns 1,085 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 1,000 shares during the period. Finally, Authentikos Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in the third quarter worth approximately $33,000. Institutional investors own 98.43% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Interpublic Group of Companies

In other news, CEO Philippe Krakowsky sold 150,403 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.20, for a total transaction of $4,842,976.60. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 415,776 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,387,987.20. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, CFO Ellen Tobi Johnson sold 40,393 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.20, for a total transaction of $1,300,654.60. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 88,350 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,844,870. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Philippe Krakowsky sold 150,403 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.20, for a total value of $4,842,976.60. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 415,776 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,387,987.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 249,646 shares of company stock valued at $8,038,601 over the last 90 days. 0.35% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 29th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Interpublic Group of Companies from $31.00 to $32.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 9th. UBS Group started coverage on Interpublic Group of Companies in a research report on Thursday, January 11th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $36.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from $38.00 to $37.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 9th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $35.78.

Interpublic Group of Companies Price Performance

Shares of IPG stock traded down $0.15 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $32.62. The company had a trading volume of 4,474,594 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,224,604. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 1.06. The company has a market capitalization of $12.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.53, a P/E/G ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 1.13. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $32.38 and its 200-day moving average price is $31.11. The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $27.20 and a 52-week high of $40.95.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The business services provider reported $1.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.16 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $2.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.57 billion. Interpublic Group of Companies had a return on equity of 30.52% and a net margin of 10.09%. The business’s revenue was up 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.02 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. will post 2.78 earnings per share for the current year.

Interpublic Group of Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Investors of record on Friday, March 1st were given a $0.33 dividend. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.05%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 29th. This is a boost from Interpublic Group of Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. Interpublic Group of Companies’s payout ratio is currently 46.32%.

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.