Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) Sees Strong Trading Volume on Strong Earnings

The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) shares saw unusually-high trading volume on Friday following a stronger than expected earnings report. Approximately 2,230,964 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 67% from the previous session’s volume of 6,802,599 shares.The stock last traded at $154.47 and had previously closed at $157.29.

The company reported $1.52 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.42 by $0.10. Procter & Gamble had a net margin of 17.60% and a return on equity of 34.04%. The business had revenue of $20.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.43 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.37 EPS. The company’s revenue was up .6% on a year-over-year basis.

Procter & Gamble Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Investors of record on Friday, April 19th will be paid a dividend of $1.0065 per share. This is a positive change from Procter & Gamble’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.94. This represents a $4.03 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.55%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 18th. Procter & Gamble’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 67.34%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have issued reports on PG shares. Truist Financial raised shares of Procter & Gamble from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $160.00 to $175.00 in a research report on Monday, March 11th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $170.00 to $172.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Procter & Gamble from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 29th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $156.00 to $157.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 24th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on shares of Procter & Gamble in a report on Friday, March 1st. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $168.00 target price on the stock. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Procter & Gamble currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $168.53.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Marc S. Pritchard sold 101,704 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.57, for a total value of $15,618,683.28. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 163,428 shares in the company, valued at $25,097,637.96. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, CEO Ma. Fatima Francisco sold 74,443 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.30, for a total value of $11,412,111.90. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 973 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $149,160.90. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Marc S. Pritchard sold 101,704 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $153.57, for a total transaction of $15,618,683.28. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 163,428 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $25,097,637.96. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 279,063 shares of company stock valued at $43,187,745 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Procter & Gamble

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Axiom Financial Strategies LLC boosted its stake in Procter & Gamble by 7.0% during the 1st quarter. Axiom Financial Strategies LLC now owns 1,728 shares of the company’s stock valued at $276,000 after acquiring an additional 113 shares during the last quarter. AMI Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Procter & Gamble by 7.2% in the 1st quarter. AMI Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,461 shares of the company’s stock worth $529,000 after buying an additional 233 shares during the last quarter. LSV Asset Management lifted its position in shares of Procter & Gamble by 5.7% in the 1st quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 18,600 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,842,000 after buying an additional 1,000 shares during the last quarter. Ergoteles LLC bought a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble in the 1st quarter worth about $3,073,000. Finally, Wsfs Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Procter & Gamble by 12.0% in the 1st quarter. Wsfs Capital Management LLC now owns 4,256 shares of the company’s stock worth $650,000 after buying an additional 455 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.77% of the company’s stock.

Procter & Gamble Stock Performance

The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $159.14 and its 200-day moving average price is $152.92. The company has a current ratio of 0.64, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The company has a market capitalization of $371.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.47, a P/E/G ratio of 3.21 and a beta of 0.44.

About Procter & Gamble

The Procter & Gamble Company provides branded consumer packaged goods worldwide. It operates through five segments: Beauty; Grooming; Health Care; Fabric & Home Care; and Baby, Feminine & Family Care. The Beauty segment offers conditioners, shampoos, styling aids, and treatments under the Head & Shoulders, Herbal Essences, Pantene, and Rejoice brands; and antiperspirants and deodorants, personal cleansing, and skin care products under the Olay, Old Spice, Safeguard, Secret, and SK-II brands.