Twin Tree Management LP Purchases 70,403 Shares of The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG)

Twin Tree Management LP raised its position in shares of The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) by 522.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 83,890 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 70,403 shares during the period. Twin Tree Management LP’s holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies were worth $2,351,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of IPG. Allworth Financial LP grew its holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies by 75.8% during the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,113 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 480 shares during the period. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies during the fourth quarter worth $36,000. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies during the third quarter worth $60,000. Transamerica Financial Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 243,700.0% during the third quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 2,438 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $78,000 after acquiring an additional 2,437 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies during the third quarter worth $107,000. 98.43% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Interpublic Group of Companies Stock Up 1.4 %

Shares of NYSE:IPG opened at $26.59 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $27.57 and its 200-day moving average price is $29.19. The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $25.85 and a 12-month high of $33.29. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.53 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a current ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The business services provider reported $1.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.15 by ($0.04). Interpublic Group of Companies had a net margin of 6.45% and a return on equity of 27.10%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. will post 2.66 earnings per share for the current year.

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

Interpublic Group of Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were paid a $0.33 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.96%. Interpublic Group of Companies’s payout ratio is presently 72.13%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Ellen Tobi Johnson sold 21,427 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.82, for a total value of $574,672.14. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 143,373 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,845,263.86. This trade represents a 13.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.42% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on IPG shares. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Interpublic Group of Companies from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $26.00 to $34.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Argus downgraded Interpublic Group of Companies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Barclays upgraded Interpublic Group of Companies from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $32.00 to $36.00 in a research report on Friday, January 24th. BNP Paribas upgraded Interpublic Group of Companies from an “underperform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $38.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, UBS Group upgraded Interpublic Group of Companies from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $29.00 to $27.00 in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Interpublic Group of Companies presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $33.50.

Interpublic Group of Companies Profile

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.