Eastover Investment Advisors LLC Decreases Stake in The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG)

Eastover Investment Advisors LLC reduced its stake in The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) by 0.7% in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 43,023 shares of the company’s stock after selling 305 shares during the period. Procter & Gamble comprises about 3.5% of Eastover Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 15th biggest position. Eastover Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $7,332,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. NewSquare Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 933.3% during the 4th quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 155 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares during the period. Navigoe LLC acquired a new stake in Procter & Gamble in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Capital A Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Procter & Gamble during the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Hoey Investments Inc. boosted its stake in Procter & Gamble by 321.7% during the 4th quarter. Hoey Investments Inc. now owns 194 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 148 shares during the last quarter. Finally, LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA acquired a new stake in Procter & Gamble during the 4th quarter worth $34,000. 65.77% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Procter & Gamble Price Performance

PG stock opened at $168.53 on Friday. 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 business has a 50 day simple moving average of $164.21 and a 200-day simple moving average of $167.36. The Procter & Gamble Company has a twelve month low of $156.58 and a twelve month high of $180.43. The company has a market capitalization of $395.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.84, a PEG ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.41.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $1.54 earnings per share 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $20.42 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.52 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.91 EPS for the current year.

Procter & Gamble Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 21st were issued a $1.0568 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, April 21st. This represents a $4.23 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.51%. This is an increase from Procter & Gamble’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.01. Procter & Gamble’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 66.98%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently commented on PG. Bank of America reduced their price target on Procter & Gamble from $190.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 25th. Redburn Partners set a $161.00 price target on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Citigroup cut their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $200.00 to $181.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Barclays restated an “equal weight” rating on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Finally, Redburn Atlantic lowered shares of Procter & Gamble from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $161.00 target price on the stock. in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Eight equities research 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 company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Procter & Gamble currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $178.52.

Insider Buying and Selling at Procter & Gamble

In related news, CEO Jennifer L. Davis sold 1,000 shares of Procter & Gamble stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.38, for a total transaction 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 document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Moses Victor Javier Aguilar sold 10,520 shares of Procter & Gamble stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the insider now owns 25,182 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,995,627.94. This represents a 29.47% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.18% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.