Captrust Financial Advisors Sells 16,982 Shares of The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG)

Captrust Financial Advisors reduced its holdings in shares of The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) by 12.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 123,657 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 16,982 shares during the quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors’ holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies were worth $3,911,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies during the 3rd quarter worth $26,000. Benjamin Edwards Inc. raised its position in Interpublic Group of Companies by 73.8% in the second quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 883 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 375 shares during the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in Interpublic Group of Companies in the third quarter valued at about $32,000. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. raised its position in Interpublic Group of Companies by 652.2% in the second quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 1,038 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 900 shares during the last quarter. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Interpublic Group of Companies in the second quarter valued at about $32,000. 98.43% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Interpublic Group of Companies Trading Down 0.7 %

NYSE IPG opened at $29.90 on Wednesday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $30.26 and a 200 day simple moving average of $30.46. The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $26.88 and a one year high of $35.17. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.10 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.09 and a quick ratio of 1.09.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The business services provider reported $0.70 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.70. Interpublic Group of Companies had a return on equity of 27.76% and a net margin of 7.44%. The business had revenue of $2.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.30 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.70 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. will post 2.82 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 Monday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 2nd will be paid a $0.33 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $1.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.41%. Interpublic Group of Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 62.26%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have commented on IPG shares. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an “underweight” rating and issued a $26.00 target price (down from $28.00) on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Macquarie reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $31.00 target price on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. UBS Group downgraded Interpublic Group of Companies from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and dropped their target price for the company from $34.00 to $29.00 in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. BNP Paribas cut Interpublic Group of Companies from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research note on Monday, September 30th. Finally, Barclays decreased their price target on Interpublic Group of Companies from $32.50 to $32.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $30.57.

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.