Bard Financial Services Inc. Cuts Stock Holdings in The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG)

Bard Financial Services Inc. trimmed its position in shares of The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) by 0.6% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 69,786 shares of the company’s stock after selling 425 shares during the quarter. Procter & Gamble makes up about 1.5% of Bard Financial Services Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 14th biggest holding. Bard Financial Services Inc.’s holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $11,893,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in PG. NewSquare Capital LLC increased its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 933.3% in the 4th quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 155 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. Navigoe LLC purchased a new stake in Procter & Gamble in the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Capital A Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Procter & Gamble in the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Hoey Investments Inc. increased its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 321.7% in the 4th quarter. Hoey Investments Inc. now owns 194 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 148 shares in the last quarter. Finally, LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA acquired a new stake in Procter & Gamble during the 4th quarter worth $34,000. 65.77% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Procter & Gamble Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of NYSE:PG opened at $162.68 on Wednesday. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $381.40 billion, a PE ratio of 25.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.43. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $163.67 and its two-hundred day moving average is $167.08. The Procter & Gamble Company has a 1 year low of $156.58 and a 1 year high of $180.43.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $1.54 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.53 by $0.01. Procter & Gamble had a net margin of 18.35% and a return on equity of 33.00%. The firm had revenue of $19.78 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.42 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.52 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.91 EPS for the current year.

Procter & Gamble Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 15th. Investors of record on Monday, April 21st were paid a dividend of $1.0568 per share. This represents a $4.23 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.60%. This is a positive change from Procter & Gamble’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.01. The ex-dividend date was Monday, April 21st. Procter & Gamble’s dividend payout ratio is presently 66.98%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

PG has been the topic of several recent research reports. Barclays reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $181.00 to $172.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Redburn Atlantic cut shares of Procter & Gamble from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $161.00 target price on the stock. in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Bank of America lowered their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $190.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Citigroup lowered their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $200.00 to $181.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Procter & Gamble has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $178.86.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Jennifer L. Davis sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.38, for a total value of $161,380.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 51,965 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,386,111.70. This represents a 1.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Moses Victor Javier Aguilar sold 10,520 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $158.67, for a total value of $1,669,208.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 25,182 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,995,627.94. This trade represents a 29.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

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.