Axa S.A. Sells 83,554 Shares of The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG)

Axa S.A. lowered its position in The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) by 5.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,382,983 shares of the company’s stock after selling 83,554 shares during the period. Procter & Gamble makes up approximately 0.7% of Axa S.A.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 21st biggest holding. Axa S.A. owned approximately 0.06% of Procter & Gamble worth $231,857,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. NewSquare Capital LLC lifted its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 933.3% during the 4th quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 155 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. Navigoe LLC bought a new stake in shares of Procter & Gamble during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Hoey Investments Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 321.7% in the fourth quarter. Hoey Investments Inc. now owns 194 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 148 shares during the period. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA bought a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble during the 4th quarter worth $34,000. Finally, Atlantic Private Wealth LLC grew its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 95.3% during the 4th quarter. Atlantic Private Wealth LLC now owns 207 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 101 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.77% of the company’s stock.

Procter & Gamble Trading Up 0.4 %

NYSE PG opened at $160.59 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $167.36 and a 200 day moving average of $167.99. The company has a market capitalization of $376.51 billion, a PE ratio of 25.57, a P/E/G ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 0.76 and a quick ratio of 0.55. The Procter & Gamble Company has a 1 year low of $156.58 and a 1 year high of $180.43.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $1.54 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.53 by $0.01. Procter & Gamble had a return on equity of 33.00% and a net margin of 18.35%. The firm had revenue of $19.78 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $20.42 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.52 earnings per share. The company’s revenue 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 year.

Procter & Gamble Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Investors of record on Monday, April 21st will be paid a $1.0568 dividend. This is a boost from Procter & Gamble’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.01. This represents a $4.23 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.63%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 21st. Procter & Gamble’s payout ratio is currently 66.98%.

Insider Activity at Procter & Gamble

In other Procter & Gamble news, CEO Jennifer L. Davis sold 1,000 shares of the firm’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 sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 51,965 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,386,111.70. This trade represents a 1.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 18,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $171.66, for a total value of $3,089,880.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 22,051 shares in the company, valued at $3,785,274.66. This trade represents a 44.94 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 54,000 shares of company stock worth $9,330,060. 0.18% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have issued reports on PG. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped 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. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Procter & Gamble from $176.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Bank of America decreased their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $190.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $161.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Redburn Atlantic cut shares of Procter & Gamble from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $161.00 target price for the company. in a research report on Thursday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $179.80.

Procter & Gamble 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.