Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) Releases Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.01 EPS

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) posted its earnings results on Wednesday. The business services provider reported $0.36 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.35 by $0.01, RTT News reports. Interpublic Group of Companies had a net margin of 10.09% and a return on equity of 30.52%. The company had revenue of $2.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.18 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.38 earnings per share. Interpublic Group of Companies’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year.

Interpublic Group of Companies Stock Performance

Shares of Interpublic Group of Companies stock opened at $31.40 on Thursday. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $31.94 and its 200 day moving average price is $31.35. The company has a market cap of $11.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.02, a PEG ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.06. Interpublic Group of Companies has a one year low of $27.20 and a one year high of $40.95.

Interpublic Group of Companies Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 1st were given a $0.33 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 29th. This is a positive change from Interpublic Group of Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. This represents a $1.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.20%. Interpublic Group of Companies’s dividend payout ratio is 46.32%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CAO Christopher F. Carroll sold 18,382 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 value of $591,900.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 42,390 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,364,958. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, CAO Christopher F. Carroll sold 18,382 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.20, for a total transaction of $591,900.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 42,390 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,364,958. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Philippe Krakowsky sold 150,403 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.20, for a total transaction of $4,842,976.60. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 415,776 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,387,987.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 249,646 shares of company stock valued at $8,038,601 in the last three months. 0.42% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

IPG has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target 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. Barclays raised their target price on Interpublic Group of Companies from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 29th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Interpublic Group of Companies from $31.00 to $32.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, February 9th. Finally, UBS Group began coverage on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in a report on Thursday, January 11th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $36.00 target price for the company. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $35.25.

About Interpublic Group of Companies

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.