Securian Asset Management Inc. Lowers Stock Position in The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG)

Securian Asset Management Inc. cut its stake in shares of The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) by 3.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 20,020 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 752 shares during the period. Securian Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies were worth $561,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. State Street Corp grew its stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 15.1% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 29,844,859 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $943,993,000 after buying an additional 3,920,975 shares during the period. Assetmark Inc. grew its stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 3.0% during the 4th quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 42,496 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,191,000 after buying an additional 1,238 shares during the period. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC grew its stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 240.9% during the 3rd quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 28,862 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $913,000 after buying an additional 20,395 shares during the period. ING Groep NV purchased a new stake in Interpublic Group of Companies during the 3rd quarter worth $1,589,000. Finally, Bridgewater Associates LP increased its holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies by 956.5% in the 3rd quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP now owns 104,734 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $3,313,000 after purchasing an additional 94,821 shares in the last quarter. 98.43% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Interpublic Group of Companies Stock Performance

NYSE:IPG opened at $26.47 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.09 and a quick ratio of 1.09. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $27.63 and a two-hundred day moving average of $29.28. The stock has a market cap of $9.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.46 and a beta of 1.14. The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $25.93 and a 1-year high of $33.29.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The business services provider reported $1.11 EPS 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%. On average, research analysts expect that The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. will post 2.66 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Interpublic Group of Companies declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, February 12th that authorizes the company to buyback $155.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the business services provider to reacquire up to 1.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Interpublic Group of Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.33 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.99%. Interpublic Group of Companies’s payout ratio is 72.13%.

Insider Transactions at Interpublic Group of Companies

In other news, CFO Ellen Tobi Johnson sold 21,427 shares of the 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 transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 143,373 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,845,263.86. This trade represents a 13.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.42% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

IPG has been the subject of several recent research reports. BNP Paribas upgraded Interpublic Group of Companies from an “underperform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $38.00 price target for the company in a report on Friday, January 10th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Interpublic Group of Companies from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and increased their price target for the company from $26.00 to $34.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Interpublic Group of Companies from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price target for the company from $32.00 to $39.00 in a report on Monday, January 27th. Argus downgraded Interpublic Group of Companies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Barclays upgraded Interpublic Group of Companies from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price target for the company from $32.00 to $36.00 in a report on Friday, January 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Interpublic Group of Companies currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $33.50.

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.