The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) Given Average Rating of “Reduce” by Brokerages

Shares of The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) have earned an average recommendation of “Reduce” from the eight analysts that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, four have given a hold recommendation and one has given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $31.71.

IPG has been the subject of a number of research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $36.00 to $33.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. StockNews.com initiated coverage on Interpublic Group of Companies in a research note on Saturday. They set a “hold” rating for the company. Macquarie restated 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. BNP Paribas cut Interpublic Group of Companies from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research report on Monday, September 30th. Finally, Barclays reduced their price objective 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.

Interpublic Group of Companies Price Performance

Shares of IPG opened at $28.13 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $10.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.27 and a beta of 1.11. Interpublic Group of Companies has a 12 month low of $26.88 and a 12 month high of $35.17. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $29.30 and its two-hundred day moving average is $30.16. The company has a current ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The business services provider reported $0.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.70. The firm had revenue of $2.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.30 billion. Interpublic Group of Companies had a net margin of 7.44% and a return on equity of 27.76%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.70 EPS. Analysts predict that Interpublic Group of Companies will post 2.81 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Interpublic Group of Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 2nd were paid a $0.33 dividend. This represents a $1.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.69%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 2nd. Interpublic Group of Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 62.26%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Interpublic Group of Companies during the third quarter worth about $26,000. Benjamin Edwards Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 73.8% during the 2nd quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 883 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 375 shares during the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. lifted its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 900 shares during the last quarter. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Interpublic Group of Companies in the second quarter worth approximately $32,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.43% of the company’s stock.

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.