Epoch Investment Partners Inc. Lowers Stake in The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG)

Epoch Investment Partners Inc. lessened its holdings in The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) by 41.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 148,035 shares of the company’s stock after selling 106,443 shares during the quarter. Epoch Investment Partners Inc.’s holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $24,818,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Lakeridge Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Procter & Gamble by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Lakeridge Wealth Management LLC now owns 10,807 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,812,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Colton Groome Financial Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 3.2% during the 4th quarter. Colton Groome Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,995 shares of the company’s stock valued at $334,000 after acquiring an additional 62 shares during the period. Tevis Investment Management increased its stake in Procter & Gamble by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Tevis Investment Management now owns 11,633 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,950,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the period. Dakota Community Bank & Trust NA grew its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 3.3% in the fourth quarter. Dakota Community Bank & Trust NA now owns 2,078 shares of the company’s stock valued at $348,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Alhambra Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Alhambra Investment Management LLC now owns 5,785 shares of the company’s stock worth $970,000 after buying an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 65.77% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

PG has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Erste Group Bank upgraded Procter & Gamble from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, March 17th. Barclays reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating on shares of Procter & Gamble in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and set a $164.00 price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Piper Sandler cut their price target on Procter & Gamble from $173.00 to $172.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 24th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Procter & Gamble from $176.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Procter & Gamble presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $181.50.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Procter & Gamble news, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 35,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $173.68, for a total transaction of $6,078,800.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 22,051 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,829,817.68. The trade was a 61.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Marc S. Pritchard sold 90,450 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $163.84, for a total value of $14,819,328.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 172,814 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $28,313,845.76. This represents a 34.36 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 143,450 shares of company stock valued at $23,988,008. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Procter & Gamble Stock Performance

Shares of PG opened at $170.59 on Friday. The Procter & Gamble Company has a 1 year low of $156.69 and a 1 year high of $180.43. The stock has a market capitalization of $400.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.16, a P/E/G ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a current ratio of 0.76. The company’s fifty day moving average is $168.39 and its two-hundred day moving average is $168.48.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 22nd. The company reported $1.88 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.86 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $21.88 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.66 billion. Procter & Gamble had a net margin of 18.35% and a return on equity of 33.00%. The firm’s revenue was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.84 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Procter & Gamble Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 21st will be issued a $1.0568 dividend. This represents a $4.23 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.48%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 21st. This is an increase from Procter & Gamble’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.01. Procter & Gamble’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 67.20%.

About Procter & Gamble

Procter & Gamble Co engages in the provision of branded consumer packaged goods. It operates through the following segments: Beauty, Grooming, Health Care, Fabric and Home Care, and Baby, Feminine and Family Care. The Beauty segment offers hair, skin, and personal care. The Grooming segment consists of shave care like female and male blades and razors, pre and post shave products, and appliances.