Axa S.A. Decreases Stake in The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG)

Axa S.A. cut its holdings in shares of The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) by 5.7% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 1,382,983 shares of the company’s stock after selling 83,554 shares during the period. Procter & Gamble accounts for about 0.7% of Axa S.A.’s holdings, making the stock its 21st largest holding. Axa S.A.’s holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $231,857,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. NewSquare Capital LLC lifted its stake in Procter & Gamble by 933.3% during the fourth quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 155 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. Navigoe LLC acquired a new position in Procter & Gamble during the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Hoey Investments Inc. boosted its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 321.7% during the 4th quarter. Hoey Investments Inc. now owns 194 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 148 shares during the period. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA acquired a new position in Procter & Gamble in the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. Finally, Atlantic Private Wealth LLC increased its stake in Procter & Gamble by 95.3% during the fourth quarter. Atlantic Private Wealth LLC now owns 207 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares during the period. 65.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Procter & Gamble Stock Up 0.4 %

Procter & Gamble stock opened at $160.59 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $167.36 and a 200-day simple moving average of $167.99. The company has a market capitalization of $376.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.57, a PEG ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a current ratio of 0.76. The Procter & Gamble Company has a fifty-two week low of $156.58 and a fifty-two week high of $180.43.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $1.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.53 by $0.01. Procter & Gamble had a net margin of 18.35% and a return on equity of 33.00%. The business had revenue of $19.78 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.42 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.52 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Procter & Gamble Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 21st will be paid a dividend of $1.0568 per share. This is an increase from Procter & Gamble’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.01. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 21st. This represents a $4.23 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.63%. Procter & Gamble’s dividend payout ratio is 66.98%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Erste Group Bank cut shares of Procter & Gamble from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday. Barclays restated an “equal weight” rating on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Bank of America reduced their price objective on Procter & Gamble from $190.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 25th. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Procter & Gamble in a report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Piper Sandler reiterated an “underperform” rating on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research note on Friday, April 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Procter & Gamble presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $179.80.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Jennifer L. Davis sold 1,000 shares of Procter & Gamble stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.38, for a total value of $161,380.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 51,965 shares in the company, valued at $8,386,111.70. This trade represents a 1.89 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 35,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $173.68, for a total transaction of $6,078,800.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 22,051 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,829,817.68. The trade was a 61.35 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 54,000 shares of company stock valued at $9,330,060 over the last quarter. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Procter & Gamble Profile

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.