Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) Research Coverage Started at StockNews.com

StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) in a report issued on Monday morning. The firm issued a hold rating on the business services provider’s stock.

A number of other research analysts have also issued reports on the company. Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $35.00 target price on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. UBS Group raised Interpublic Group of Companies from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $29.00 to $27.00 in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Barclays decreased their price target on Interpublic Group of Companies from $36.00 to $34.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 25th. Argus downgraded Interpublic Group of Companies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Interpublic Group of Companies from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $32.00 to $39.00 in a report on Monday, January 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $33.44.

Interpublic Group of Companies Trading Down 2.5%

NYSE:IPG opened at $25.00 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $9.24 billion, a PE ratio of 13.66 and a beta of 1.09. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $25.26 and a 200 day moving average price of $27.41. Interpublic Group of Companies has a 12-month low of $22.51 and a 12-month high of $33.05. The company has a current ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The business services provider reported $0.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.30 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $2 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.98 billion. Interpublic Group of Companies had a return on equity of 27.10% and a net margin of 6.45%. Interpublic Group of Companies’s revenue was down 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.36 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Interpublic Group of Companies will post 2.66 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Interpublic Group of Companies announced that its board has approved a share buyback program on Wednesday, February 12th that permits the company to buyback $155.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the business services provider to reacquire up to 1.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Transactions at Interpublic Group of Companies

In other news, CFO Ellen Tobi Johnson sold 21,427 shares of Interpublic Group of Companies stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.82, for a total transaction of $574,672.14. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 143,373 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,845,263.86. The trade was a 13.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.42% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Interpublic Group of Companies

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in IPG. Allworth Financial LP increased its position in Interpublic Group of Companies by 75.8% in the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,113 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 480 shares during the period. Sentry Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Interpublic Group of Companies in the 1st quarter valued at about $31,000. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new position in Interpublic Group of Companies in the 4th quarter valued at about $36,000. Raiffeisen Bank International AG acquired a new position in Interpublic Group of Companies in the 4th quarter valued at about $42,000. Finally, FNY Investment Advisers LLC acquired a new position in Interpublic Group of Companies in the 1st quarter valued at about $44,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.43% of the company’s stock.

About Interpublic Group of Companies

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.