Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Boosts Stake in Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (The) (NYSE:IPG)

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (The) (NYSE:IPG) by 76.9% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 47,500 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 20,654 shares during the quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies were worth $1,290,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Sentry Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Interpublic Group of Companies during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Raiffeisen Bank International AG purchased a new position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $42,000. FNY Investment Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies during the first quarter worth approximately $44,000. Grove Bank & Trust increased its stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 1,219.5% in the first quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 2,164 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $59,000 after buying an additional 2,000 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GeoWealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 20.7% in the fourth quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 3,341 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $94,000 after buying an additional 573 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.43% of the company’s stock.

Interpublic Group of Companies Stock Up 1.3%

Shares of Interpublic Group of Companies stock opened at $24.55 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.81 and a beta of 1.05. Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $22.51 and a twelve month high of $33.05. The company has a current ratio of 1.07, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $24.36 and its 200-day simple moving average is $25.53.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 22nd. The business services provider reported $0.75 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.55 by $0.20. The firm had revenue of $2.17 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.15 billion. Interpublic Group of Companies had a return on equity of 28.72% and a net margin of 4.27%. The firm’s revenue was down 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.61 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. will post 2.66 earnings per share for the current year.

Interpublic Group of Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 2nd will be given a $0.33 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 2nd. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.4%. Interpublic Group of Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 111.86%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have commented on IPG shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from $35.00 to $33.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. UBS Group decreased their price target on Interpublic Group of Companies from $27.00 to $25.60 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 23rd. Barclays lowered Interpublic Group of Companies from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $34.00 to $27.50 in a report on Wednesday, June 25th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $35.00 target price on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Finally, Wall Street Zen initiated coverage on Interpublic Group of Companies in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. They issued a “hold” rating for the company. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $32.39.

About Interpublic Group of Companies

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.