Mirova Decreases Holdings in The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG)

Mirova cut its stake in shares of The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) by 36.6% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 42,706 shares of the company’s stock after selling 24,694 shares during the quarter. Procter & Gamble comprises 1.2% of Mirova’s holdings, making the stock its 16th largest position. Mirova’s holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $7,160,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Berkshire Asset Management LLC PA lifted its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Berkshire Asset Management LLC PA now owns 236,616 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,833,000 after acquiring an additional 2,179 shares during the last quarter. Strategic Advisors LLC raised its position in Procter & Gamble by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. Strategic Advisors LLC now owns 55,912 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,374,000 after purchasing an additional 1,818 shares during the period. Copley Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in Procter & Gamble in the third quarter worth about $668,000. Fortem Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $569,000. Finally, Richard C. Young & CO. LTD. grew its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 2.1% during the fourth quarter. Richard C. Young & CO. LTD. now owns 123,853 shares of the company’s stock valued at $20,764,000 after buying an additional 2,568 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 65.77% of the company’s stock.

Procter & Gamble Price Performance

Shares of PG stock opened at $170.59 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $400.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.16, a PEG ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 0.76 and a quick ratio of 0.55. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $168.39 and its 200 day moving average is $168.48. The Procter & Gamble Company has a 1-year low of $156.69 and a 1-year high of $180.43.

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

Procter & Gamble Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 21st will be issued a dividend of $1.0568 per share. This represents a $4.23 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.48%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 21st. This is a positive change from Procter & Gamble’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.01. Procter & Gamble’s dividend payout ratio is currently 67.20%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

PG has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Procter & Gamble from $176.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and set a $164.00 target price on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $181.00 to $172.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 11th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $161.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Barclays restated an “equal weight” rating on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $181.50.

Insider Transactions at Procter & Gamble

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

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.