The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) Stock Holdings Trimmed by Yacktman Asset Management LP

Yacktman Asset Management LP lessened its stake in The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) by 5.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 2,523,944 shares of the company’s stock after selling 135,572 shares during the quarter. Procter & Gamble comprises about 3.4% of Yacktman Asset Management LP’s holdings, making the stock its 9th largest holding. Yacktman Asset Management LP owned 0.11% of Procter & Gamble worth $369,859,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wyrmwood Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble during the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Naples Money Management LLC acquired a new stake in Procter & Gamble in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Criterion Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Procter & Gamble during the fourth quarter worth $33,000. Mendota Financial Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 636.6% in the fourth quarter. Mendota Financial Group LLC now owns 302 shares of the company’s stock valued at $44,000 after buying an additional 261 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Morton Brown Family Wealth LLC lifted its stake in Procter & Gamble by 206.6% during the 4th quarter. Morton Brown Family Wealth LLC now owns 417 shares of the company’s stock worth $61,000 after acquiring an additional 281 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.77% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on PG. StockNews.com cut shares of Procter & Gamble from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 29th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on Procter & Gamble from $175.00 to $182.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on Procter & Gamble in a report on Friday, March 1st. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $168.00 target price for the company. Stifel Nicolaus upped 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. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price objective on Procter & Gamble from $172.00 to $178.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 24th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $169.76.

Insider Buying and Selling at Procter & Gamble

In other news, CEO Ma. Fatima Francisco sold 45,000 shares of Procter & Gamble stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $156.00, for a total transaction of $7,020,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 973 shares in the company, valued at $151,788. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other Procter & Gamble news, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 22,000 shares of Procter & Gamble stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.32, for a total value of $3,549,040.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 36,845 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,943,835.40. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Ma. Fatima Francisco sold 45,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $156.00, for a total transaction of $7,020,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 973 shares in the company, valued at $151,788. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 100,865 shares of company stock valued at $16,029,280. 0.17% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Procter & Gamble Stock Performance

NYSE PG traded down $1.15 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $161.40. The company had a trading volume of 2,971,782 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,921,705. The Procter & Gamble Company has a 1-year low of $141.45 and a 1-year high of $164.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a current ratio of 0.69. The company has a market cap of $380.93 billion, a PE ratio of 26.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.30 and a beta of 0.44. The business has a 50 day moving average of $159.57 and a 200-day moving average of $153.39.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 19th. The company reported $1.52 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.42 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $20.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $20.43 billion. Procter & Gamble had a return on equity of 33.91% and a net margin of 18.00%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.37 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.55 EPS for the current year.

Procter & Gamble Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Investors of record on Friday, April 19th will be given a $1.0065 dividend. This represents a $4.03 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.49%. This is a positive change from Procter & Gamble’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.94. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 18th. Procter & Gamble’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 65.85%.

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.