Xponance Inc. Boosts Stock Position in The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG)

Xponance Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) by 5.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 352,997 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 17,417 shares during the period. Procter & Gamble makes up approximately 0.6% of Xponance Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest holding. Xponance Inc.’s holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $51,728,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Flynn Zito Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 3.4% during the fourth quarter. Flynn Zito Capital Management LLC now owns 4,795 shares of the company’s stock worth $703,000 after acquiring an additional 158 shares during the last quarter. AIA Group Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 50.1% during the fourth quarter. AIA Group Ltd now owns 272,497 shares of the company’s stock worth $39,932,000 after purchasing an additional 91,009 shares during the period. Cambridge Trust Co. lifted its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Cambridge Trust Co. now owns 291,473 shares of the company’s stock valued at $42,712,000 after acquiring an additional 4,360 shares during the period. Investors Asset Management of Georgia Inc. GA ADV lifted its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 12.1% in the fourth quarter. Investors Asset Management of Georgia Inc. GA ADV now owns 7,422 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,092,000 after acquiring an additional 800 shares during the period. Finally, Ninety One UK Ltd lifted its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 4.7% in the fourth quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd now owns 461,099 shares of the company’s stock valued at $67,569,000 after acquiring an additional 20,638 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.77% of the company’s stock.

Procter & Gamble Trading Up 0.9 %

Shares of NYSE:PG traded up $1.34 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $157.29. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 7,281,779 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,829,744. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $159.16 and a 200 day moving average price of $152.80. The Procter & Gamble Company has a 1 year low of $141.45 and a 1 year high of $163.14. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The firm has a market cap of $370.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.19 and a beta of 0.44.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 23rd. The company reported $1.84 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.70 by $0.14. Procter & Gamble had a return on equity of 34.04% and a net margin of 17.60%. The company had revenue of $21.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $21.48 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.59 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.45 EPS for the current year.

Procter & Gamble Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Investors of record on Friday, April 19th will be paid a $1.0065 dividend. This is a boost from Procter & Gamble’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.94. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 18th. This represents a $4.03 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.56%. Procter & Gamble’s payout ratio is 62.98%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

PG has been the subject of several research analyst reports. StockNews.com downgraded Procter & Gamble from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on Procter & Gamble from $155.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on Procter & Gamble in a research note on Friday, March 1st. They set a “neutral” rating and a $168.00 target price on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on Procter & Gamble from $169.00 to $162.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 18th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Procter & Gamble from $162.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 24th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $168.53.

Insider Buying and Selling at Procter & Gamble

In related news, CEO R. Alexandra Keith sold 776 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $158.11, for a total value of $122,693.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 4,859 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $768,256.49. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other news, CEO R. Alexandra Keith sold 776 shares of Procter & Gamble stock in a transaction on Monday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $158.11, for a total transaction of $122,693.36. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 4,859 shares in the company, valued at approximately $768,256.49. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Marc S. Pritchard sold 101,704 shares of Procter & Gamble stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.57, for a total value of $15,618,683.28. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 163,428 shares in the company, valued at $25,097,637.96. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 279,063 shares of company stock worth $43,187,745 over the last quarter. 0.17% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

About Procter & Gamble

The Procter & Gamble Company provides branded consumer packaged goods worldwide. It operates through five segments: Beauty; Grooming; Health Care; Fabric & Home Care; and Baby, Feminine & Family Care. The Beauty segment offers conditioners, shampoos, styling aids, and treatments under the Head & Shoulders, Herbal Essences, Pantene, and Rejoice brands; and antiperspirants and deodorants, personal cleansing, and skin care products under the Olay, Old Spice, Safeguard, Secret, and SK-II brands.