Graham Capital Management L.P. Buys 18,011 Shares of The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG)

Graham Capital Management L.P. boosted its stake in The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) by 78.3% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 41,015 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 18,011 shares during the period. Graham Capital Management L.P.’s holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $6,876,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Procter & Gamble in the 4th quarter valued at about $5,244,463,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble in the fourth quarter worth about $1,010,685,000. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich raised its position in shares of Procter & Gamble by 1,195.1% in the fourth quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich now owns 3,222,585 shares of the company’s stock valued at $580,596,000 after purchasing an additional 2,973,757 shares during the period. Capital Research Global Investors lifted its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 62.5% during the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 7,398,120 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,240,294,000 after buying an additional 2,846,560 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp boosted its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 10.1% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 29,395,208 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,928,107,000 after buying an additional 2,703,757 shares during the period. 65.77% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Procter & Gamble Price Performance

Shares of Procter & Gamble stock opened at $157.73 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $369.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a fifty day moving average of $165.92 and a 200-day moving average of $167.57. The Procter & Gamble Company has a 52-week low of $156.58 and a 52-week high of $180.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a current ratio of 0.76.

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

Procter & Gamble Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Investors of record on Monday, April 21st will be paid a $1.0568 dividend. This represents a $4.23 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.68%. This is an increase from Procter & Gamble’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.01. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 21st. Procter & Gamble’s payout ratio is presently 66.98%.

Insider Activity at Procter & Gamble

In related news, insider Moses Victor Javier Aguilar sold 10,520 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $158.67, for a total value of $1,669,208.40. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 25,182 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,995,627.94. This trade represents a 29.47 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 22,051 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,829,817.68. This trade represents a 61.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 64,520 shares of company stock worth $10,999,268 in the last three months. 0.18% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on PG shares. Royal Bank of Canada upgraded Procter & Gamble from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $164.00 to $177.00 in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Citigroup cut their target price on Procter & Gamble from $200.00 to $181.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Redburn Partners set a $161.00 target price on Procter & Gamble in a report on Thursday, May 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $181.00 to $172.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 11th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $161.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Procter & Gamble presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $178.52.

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.