Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt Purchases 1,090 Shares of The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG)

Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt raised its holdings in shares of The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) by 0.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 120,077 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,090 shares during the quarter. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt’s holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies were worth $3,918,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in IPG. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies by 14.5% during the 1st quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 23,035 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $817,000 after purchasing an additional 2,915 shares during the last quarter. Cetera Advisor Networks LLC acquired a new stake in Interpublic Group of Companies during the 1st quarter valued at $243,000. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund acquired a new stake in Interpublic Group of Companies during the 1st quarter valued at $133,000. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS lifted its holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies by 6.6% during the 1st quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS now owns 52,667 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,867,000 after purchasing an additional 3,244 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Yousif Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies by 1.0% during the 1st quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC now owns 63,184 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $2,240,000 after purchasing an additional 595 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.43% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

IPG has been the subject of several research reports. Barclays raised their price target on Interpublic Group of Companies from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, January 29th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from $31.00 to $32.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from $38.00 to $37.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 9th. Finally, UBS Group began coverage on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in a research report on Thursday, January 11th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $36.00 target price for the company. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $35.25.

Insider Buying and Selling at Interpublic Group of Companies

In other Interpublic Group of Companies news, EVP Andrew Bonzani sold 40,468 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.20, for a total transaction of $1,303,069.60. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 70,431 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,267,878.20. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Interpublic Group of Companies news, CFO Ellen Tobi Johnson sold 40,393 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.20, for a total transaction of $1,300,654.60. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 88,350 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,844,870. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Andrew Bonzani sold 40,468 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.20, for a total value of $1,303,069.60. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 70,431 shares in the company, valued at $2,267,878.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 249,646 shares of company stock valued at $8,038,601. 0.33% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Interpublic Group of Companies Trading Down 0.3 %

NYSE:IPG traded down $0.08 on Wednesday, reaching $30.27. 3,817,099 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,066,764. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 1.13. The company’s 50 day moving average is $32.05 and its 200-day moving average is $31.28. The company has a current ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73. The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $27.20 and a 1-year high of $40.95.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The business services provider reported $1.18 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.16 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $2.59 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.57 billion. Interpublic Group of Companies had a net margin of 10.09% and a return on equity of 30.52%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.02 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. will post 2.78 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Interpublic Group of Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 1st were given a dividend of $0.33 per share. This represents a $1.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.36%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 29th. This is an increase from Interpublic Group of Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. Interpublic Group of Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 46.32%.

Interpublic Group of Companies Company 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.