Ancora Advisors LLC Boosts Stock Position in The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG)

Ancora Advisors LLC increased its position in The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) by 0.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 219,867 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 606 shares during the quarter. Procter & Gamble comprises approximately 0.8% of Ancora Advisors LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 26th biggest position. Ancora Advisors LLC’s holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $36,861,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. FAS Wealth Partners Inc. lifted its stake in Procter & Gamble by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. FAS Wealth Partners Inc. now owns 27,690 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,642,000 after purchasing an additional 549 shares in the last quarter. Berkshire Asset Management LLC PA boosted its position in shares of Procter & Gamble by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Berkshire Asset Management LLC PA now owns 236,616 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,833,000 after acquiring an additional 2,179 shares during the last quarter. Strategic Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. Strategic Advisors LLC now owns 55,912 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,374,000 after buying an additional 1,818 shares in the last quarter. Fortem Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Procter & Gamble during the 4th quarter valued at about $569,000. Finally, Richard C. Young & CO. LTD. grew its position in Procter & Gamble by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. Richard C. Young & CO. LTD. now owns 123,853 shares of the company’s stock worth $20,764,000 after acquiring an additional 2,568 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.77% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Procter & Gamble

In related news, CEO Jennifer L. Davis sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.38, for a total value of $161,380.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 51,965 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,386,111.70. This represents a 1.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 35,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $173.68, for a total transaction of $6,078,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 22,051 shares in the company, valued at $3,829,817.68. This trade represents a 61.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 54,000 shares of company stock valued at $9,330,060. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Procter & Gamble Trading Up 0.4 %

Shares of PG opened at $160.59 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $376.51 billion, a PE ratio of 25.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.43. The Procter & Gamble Company has a 52-week low of $156.58 and a 52-week high of $180.43. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $167.36 and its two-hundred day moving average is $167.99. The company has a quick ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $1.54 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.53 by $0.01. Procter & Gamble had a return on equity of 33.00% and a net margin of 18.35%. The business had revenue of $19.78 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $20.42 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.52 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Procter & Gamble Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 21st will be paid a dividend of $1.0568 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 21st. This is a positive change from Procter & Gamble’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.01. This represents a $4.23 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.63%. Procter & Gamble’s dividend payout ratio is 66.98%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

PG has been the topic of several analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Procter & Gamble from $181.00 to $172.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Bank of America cut their price objective on Procter & Gamble from $190.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Raymond James decreased their target price on Procter & Gamble from $190.00 to $185.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Erste Group Bank downgraded shares of Procter & Gamble from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, DA Davidson reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $209.00 price target on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Procter & Gamble currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $179.80.

Procter & Gamble Company Profile

Procter & Gamble Co engages in the provision of branded consumer packaged goods. It operates through the following segments: Beauty, Grooming, Health Care, Fabric and Home Care, and Baby, Feminine and Family Care. The Beauty segment offers hair, skin, and personal care. The Grooming segment consists of shave care like female and male blades and razors, pre and post shave products, and appliances.