Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) Earns Hold Rating from Analysts at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen started coverage on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) in a research note published on Tuesday. The brokerage issued a hold rating on the business services provider’s stock.

Several other analysts have also commented on IPG. Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating and set a $35.00 price target on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Argus cut shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their target price for the company from $32.00 to $39.00 in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Barclays reduced their price target on Interpublic Group of Companies from $36.00 to $34.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, UBS Group raised Interpublic Group of Companies from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $29.00 to $27.00 in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $33.44.

Interpublic Group of Companies Stock Down 1.0%

Interpublic Group of Companies stock opened at $24.04 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. The firm has a market cap of $8.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.14 and a beta of 1.09. The business has a fifty day moving average of $25.04 and a two-hundred day moving average of $27.21. Interpublic Group of Companies has a twelve month low of $22.51 and a twelve month high of $33.05.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The business services provider reported $0.33 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.30 by $0.03. Interpublic Group of Companies had a return on equity of 27.10% and a net margin of 6.45%. The firm had revenue of $2 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.98 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.36 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that Interpublic Group of Companies will post 2.66 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Interpublic Group of Companies declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase plan on Wednesday, February 12th that permits the company to repurchase $155.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the business services provider to repurchase up to 1.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Interpublic Group of Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 2nd will be issued a dividend of $0.33 per share. This represents a $1.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.49%. Interpublic Group of Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 100.76%.

Insider Transactions at Interpublic Group of Companies

In related news, CFO Ellen Tobi Johnson sold 21,427 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.82, for a total value of $574,672.14. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 143,373 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,845,263.86. This represents a 13.00% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.42% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Interpublic Group of Companies

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Allworth Financial LP raised its holdings in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 75.8% during the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,113 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 480 shares during the last quarter. Sentry Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Interpublic Group of Companies in the first quarter valued at $31,000. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new stake in Interpublic Group of Companies during the 4th quarter worth about $36,000. Raiffeisen Bank International AG purchased a new position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies during the 4th quarter valued at about $42,000. Finally, FNY Investment Advisers LLC purchased a new position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies during the 1st quarter valued at about $44,000. 98.43% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.