Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) Shares Climb 3.3% – Time to Buy?

Procter & Gamble Company (The) (NYSE:PG – Get Free Report)’s stock price was up 3.3% on Wednesday. The company traded as high as $168.17 and last traded at $167.3730. Approximately 13,877,567 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 43% from the average session volume of 9,738,513 shares. The stock had previously closed at $162.06.

Key Stories Impacting Procter & Gamble

Here are the key news stories impacting Procter & Gamble this week:

  • Positive Sentiment: Investors seeking stability after the midterm election results have gravitated toward dividend-paying consumer-staples companies, including P&G. Its essential household brands and dividend history support its defensive appeal. Article: Dividend Kings and midterm election results
  • Positive Sentiment: Coverage highlights P&G’s pricing power as a potential buffer against inflation, while its premium brands benefit from consumer loyalty and innovation. These qualities may help sustain demand and protect earnings. Article: Dividend stocks with pricing power
  • Neutral Sentiment: P&G closed a €3.25 billion euro-note offering. The financing provides funds but also creates debt obligations; the report did not detail the intended use of proceeds. Article: Euro note offering
  • Negative Sentiment: Several company insiders, including executives and the chief accounting officer, recently sold shares. Sales do not necessarily signal a negative outlook, but may weigh on sentiment. Article: CEO share sale
  • Negative Sentiment: Rising costs and consumers’ focus on value could challenge growth in P&G’s premium brands, despite brand loyalty and innovation. Article: Premium brands in a value-seeking market

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently commented on PG. TD Cowen increased their price objective on Procter & Gamble from $150.00 to $166.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, October 23rd. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $169.00 target price on Procter & Gamble in a report on Friday, October 23rd. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Procter & Gamble from $166.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, October 23rd. Evercore upgraded Procter & Gamble from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $166.00 price target on the stock in a report on Tuesday, October 6th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research report on Friday, October 23rd. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $170.57.

Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on PG

Procter & Gamble Stock Up 3.3%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.72 and a quick ratio of 0.53. The firm has a market capitalization of $387.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.02 and a beta of 0.36. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $150.68 and a 200 day moving average price of $149.12.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG – Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 22nd. The company reported $2.00 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.89 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $23.28 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.80 billion. Procter & Gamble had a return on equity of 31.02% and a net margin of 18.23%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.99 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.99 earnings per share for the current year.

Procter & Gamble Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 23rd will be given a $1.0885 dividend. This represents a $4.35 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 23rd. Procter & Gamble’s dividend payout ratio is currently 65.51%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Procter & Gamble

In other Procter & Gamble news, insider Victor Aguilar sold 18,812 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, October 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.43, for a total value of $3,093,257.16. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 55,243 shares in the company, valued at $9,083,606.49. This trade represents a 25.40% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Sundar G. Raman sold 38,253 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $165.00, for a total transaction of $6,311,745.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 47,745 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,877,925. The trade was a 44.48% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 128,085 shares of company stock valued at $20,696,098 in the last three months. 0.23% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Procter & Gamble

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in PG. M&G PLC boosted its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 7.9% during the third quarter. M&G PLC now owns 16,408 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,379,000 after acquiring an additional 1,204 shares during the period. Vestor Capital LLC grew its position in shares of Procter & Gamble by 455.0% in the third quarter. Vestor Capital LLC now owns 10,506 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,526,000 after purchasing an additional 8,613 shares during the last quarter. Clear Wave Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 19.2% during the third quarter. Clear Wave Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,348 shares of the company’s stock worth $632,000 after purchasing an additional 699 shares during the period. Joseph Group Capital Management increased its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 6.7% during the third quarter. Joseph Group Capital Management now owns 53,145 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,721,000 after purchasing an additional 3,354 shares during the period. Finally, Fulcrum Asset Management LLP increased its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 26.2% during the third quarter. Fulcrum Asset Management LLP now owns 14,618 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,168,000 after purchasing an additional 3,036 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 65.77% of the company’s stock.

About Procter & Gamble

(Get Free Report)

Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE: PG) is a global consumer products company that develops, manufactures and markets branded products used in households and personal care. Its portfolio includes personal health and grooming products, beauty and skin care items, baby, feminine and family care products, fabric and home care products, and oral care products.

The company’s well-known brands include Pampers, Tide, Gillette, Crest, Oral-B, Head & Shoulders, Pantene, Olay, Old Spice, Dawn, Febreze and Mr.

Featured Stories

Receive News & Ratings for Procter & Gamble Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Procter & Gamble and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.