Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) Shares Climb 3.3% – What’s Next?

Shares of Procter & Gamble Company (The) (NYSE:PG) were up 3.3% on Wednesday. The stock traded as high as $168.17 and last traded at $167.3730. 13,877,567 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 43% from the average session volume of 9,738,513 shares. The stock had previously closed at $162.06.

Trending Headlines about Procter & Gamble

Here are the key news stories impacting Procter & Gamble this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Investors seeking stability after the midterm election results have gravitated toward dividend-paying consumer-staples companies, including P&G. Its essential household brands and dividend history support its defensive appeal. Article: Dividend Kings and midterm election results
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage highlights P&G’s pricing power as a potential buffer against inflation, while its premium brands benefit from consumer loyalty and innovation. These qualities may help sustain demand and protect earnings. Article: Dividend stocks with pricing power
• Neutral Sentiment: P&G closed a €3.25 billion euro-note offering. The financing provides funds but also creates debt obligations; the report did not detail the intended use of proceeds. Article: Euro note offering
• Negative Sentiment: Several company insiders, including executives and the chief accounting officer, recently sold shares. Sales do not necessarily signal a negative outlook, but may weigh on sentiment. Article: CEO share sale
• Negative Sentiment: Rising costs and consumers’ focus on value could challenge growth in P&G’s premium brands, despite brand loyalty and innovation. Article: Premium brands in a value-seeking market

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on PG shares. Evercore raised shares of Procter & Gamble from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $166.00 target price for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 6th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $166.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, October 23rd. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $169.00 price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research note on Friday, October 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $161.00 price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble in a report on Thursday, October 22nd. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane boosted their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $177.00 to $189.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, October 23rd. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $170.57.

Procter & Gamble Trading Up 3.3%

The business has a 50-day moving average price of $150.68 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $149.12. The stock has a market capitalization of $387.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.21, a P/E/G ratio of 4.02 and a beta of 0.36. The company has a current ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 22nd. The company reported $2.00 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.89 by $0.11. Procter & Gamble had a return on equity of 31.02% and a net margin of 18.23%. The company had revenue of $23.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $22.80 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.99 earnings per share. Procter & Gamble’s revenue was up 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Procter & Gamble Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 23rd will be paid a dividend of $1.0885 per share. This represents a $4.35 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 23rd. Procter & Gamble’s dividend payout ratio is presently 65.51%.

Insider Transactions at Procter & Gamble

In other news, CEO Shailesh Jejurikar sold 35,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $163.09, for a total value of $5,708,150.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 55,391 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,033,718.19. The trade was a 38.72% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Paul Gama sold 4,331 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.27, for a total transaction of $698,460.37. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 46,793 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,546,307.11. The trade was a 8.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 128,085 shares of company stock worth $20,696,098. Corporate insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. M&G PLC raised its stake in Procter & Gamble by 7.9% during the third quarter. M&G PLC now owns 16,408 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,379,000 after acquiring an additional 1,204 shares in the last quarter. Vestor Capital LLC boosted its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 455.0% in the 3rd quarter. Vestor Capital LLC now owns 10,506 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,526,000 after purchasing an additional 8,613 shares in the last quarter. Clear Wave Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 19.2% during the 3rd quarter. Clear Wave Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,348 shares of the company’s stock valued at $632,000 after purchasing an additional 699 shares during the last quarter. Joseph Group Capital Management grew its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 6.7% during the 3rd quarter. Joseph Group Capital Management now owns 53,145 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,721,000 after purchasing an additional 3,354 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fulcrum Asset Management LLP grew its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 26.2% during the 3rd quarter. Fulcrum Asset Management LLP now owns 14,618 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,168,000 after purchasing an additional 3,036 shares during the last quarter. 65.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Procter & Gamble Company Profile

Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE: PG) is a global consumer products company that develops, manufactures and markets branded products used in households and personal care. Its portfolio includes personal health and grooming products, beauty and skin care items, baby, feminine and family care products, fabric and home care products, and oral care products.

The company’s well-known brands include Pampers, Tide, Gillette, Crest, Oral-B, Head & Shoulders, Pantene, Olay, Old Spice, Dawn, Febreze and Mr.