James Investment Research Inc. Cuts Stock Position in Procter & Gamble Company (The) (NYSE:PG)

James Investment Research Inc. decreased its position in Procter & Gamble Company (The) (NYSE:PG) by 5.2% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 83,967 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,603 shares during the period. Procter & Gamble makes up approximately 1.8% of James Investment Research Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 9th biggest position. James Investment Research Inc.’s holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $14,310,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in PG. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in Procter & Gamble by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 229,794,073 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,524,976,000 after acquiring an additional 1,592,061 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Procter & Gamble by 2.3% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 56,472,195 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,457,000,000 after buying an additional 1,267,419 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $5,244,463,000. Northern Trust Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 10.1% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 29,395,208 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,928,107,000 after buying an additional 2,703,757 shares during the period. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position in shares of Procter & Gamble by 6.4% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 20,197,996 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,386,194,000 after purchasing an additional 1,209,275 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.77% of the company’s stock.

Procter & Gamble Stock Down 0.7%

Shares of PG stock opened at $152.61 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $161.54 and its 200 day simple moving average is $164.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 0.50 and a current ratio of 0.71. Procter & Gamble Company has a twelve month low of $151.90 and a twelve month high of $180.43. The company has a market capitalization of $357.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.22, a PEG ratio of 4.38 and a beta of 0.40.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $1.54 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.53 by $0.01. Procter & Gamble had a return on equity of 32.67% and a net margin of 18.46%. The company had revenue of $19.78 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.42 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.52 EPS. Procter & Gamble’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.91 EPS for the current year.

Procter & Gamble Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 15th. Investors of record on Friday, July 18th will be paid a $1.0568 dividend. This represents a $4.23 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.77%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 18th. Procter & Gamble’s dividend payout ratio is 67.14%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently commented on PG shares. Morgan Stanley set a $180.00 target price on shares of Procter & Gamble and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Royal Bank Of Canada upgraded Procter & Gamble from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $164.00 to $177.00 in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Evercore ISI restated an “in-line” rating and issued a $170.00 target price (down from $190.00) on shares of Procter & Gamble in a report on Monday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Procter & Gamble from $181.00 to $172.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 11th. Finally, Redburn Partners set a $161.00 price target on Procter & Gamble in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Procter & Gamble has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $177.25.

Insider Buying and Selling at Procter & Gamble

In other news, CEO Jennifer L. Davis sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.38, for a total value of $161,380.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 51,965 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,386,111.70. This represents a 1.89% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Moses Victor Javier Aguilar sold 10,520 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $158.67, for a total transaction of $1,669,208.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 25,182 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Procter & Gamble Profile

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.