Wealth Management Strategies Inc. Invests $273,000 in The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG)

Wealth Management Strategies Inc. acquired a new position in The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 1,627 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $273,000. Procter & Gamble comprises 0.2% of Wealth Management Strategies Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 29th largest position.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in Procter & Gamble by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 229,794,073 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,524,976,000 after purchasing an additional 1,592,061 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Procter & Gamble by 2.3% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 56,472,195 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,457,000,000 after buying an additional 1,267,419 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble during the 4th quarter valued at $5,244,463,000. Northern Trust Corp boosted its stake in shares of 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 last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. increased its position in Procter & Gamble by 6.4% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 20,197,996 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,386,194,000 after acquiring an additional 1,209,275 shares during the last quarter. 65.77% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Jennifer L. Davis sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.38, for a total value of $161,380.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 51,965 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,386,111.70. This trade represents a 1.89% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 35,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 28th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at $3,829,817.68. The trade was a 61.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 64,520 shares of company stock valued at $10,999,268 over the last ninety days. 0.18% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Procter & Gamble Price Performance

NYSE:PG opened at $165.95 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $389.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.43, a P/E/G ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.41. The business’s 50-day moving average is $164.19 and its 200 day moving average is $167.29. The company has a current ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The Procter & Gamble Company has a 12 month low of $156.58 and a 12 month high of $180.43.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $1.54 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $20.42 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.52 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Procter & Gamble Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 15th. Investors of record on Monday, April 21st were issued a $1.0568 dividend. This is an increase from Procter & Gamble’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.01. The ex-dividend date was Monday, April 21st. This represents a $4.23 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.55%. Procter & Gamble’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 66.98%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Citigroup cut their price target 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. Erste Group Bank cut shares of Procter & Gamble from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $181.00 to $172.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Royal Bank of Canada upgraded Procter & Gamble from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $164.00 to $177.00 in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Redburn Atlantic downgraded Procter & Gamble from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $161.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $178.52.

Procter & Gamble Company 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.