The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) Given Average Recommendation of “Hold” by Analysts

Shares of The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) have earned an average rating of “Hold” from the ten research firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, four have issued a hold recommendation and five have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $33.67.

IPG has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $32.00 to $39.00 in a research note on Monday, January 27th. StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in a report on Friday. They issued a “hold” rating on the stock. BNP Paribas upgraded Interpublic Group of Companies from an “underperform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $38.00 target price for the company in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Barclays upgraded Interpublic Group of Companies from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $32.00 to $36.00 in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Argus lowered Interpublic Group of Companies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Ellen Tobi Johnson sold 21,427 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.82, for a total transaction of $574,672.14. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 143,373 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,845,263.86. This represents a 13.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.42% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Allworth Financial LP raised its holdings in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 75.8% during the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,113 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 480 shares during the last quarter. Sentry Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Interpublic Group of Companies during the 1st quarter valued at $31,000. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new position in Interpublic Group of Companies during the 4th quarter worth $36,000. Raiffeisen Bank International AG bought a new position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in the fourth quarter worth $42,000. Finally, FNY Investment Advisers LLC bought a new position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in the first quarter worth $44,000. 98.43% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Interpublic Group of Companies Stock Up 2.8 %

Shares of Interpublic Group of Companies stock opened at $23.91 on Friday. Interpublic Group of Companies has a twelve month low of $22.51 and a twelve month high of $33.05. The stock has a market cap of $8.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.07 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a current ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $26.18 and a 200 day moving average price of $28.22.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The business services provider reported $1.11 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.15 by ($0.04). Interpublic Group of Companies had a return on equity of 27.10% and a net margin of 6.45%. Equities research analysts forecast that Interpublic Group of Companies will post 2.66 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Interpublic Group of Companies declared that its board has initiated a share buyback plan on Wednesday, February 12th that authorizes the company to buyback $155.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the business services provider to reacquire up to 1.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Interpublic Group of Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were paid a dividend of $0.33 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.52%. Interpublic Group of Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 72.13%.

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.