Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund Increases Stock Position in The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG)

Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund lifted its holdings in shares of The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) by 7.1% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 262,498 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 17,323 shares during the quarter. Procter & Gamble accounts for about 0.6% of Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 15th largest holding. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund’s holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $38,466,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of PG. Naples Money Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble in the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Wyrmwood Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble in the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Criterion Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble in the 4th quarter worth $33,000. Mendota Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 636.6% during the 4th quarter. Mendota Financial Group LLC now owns 302 shares of the company’s stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 261 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Morton Brown Family Wealth LLC grew its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 206.6% during the 4th quarter. Morton Brown Family Wealth LLC now owns 417 shares of the company’s stock valued at $61,000 after purchasing an additional 281 shares during the last quarter. 65.77% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Procter & Gamble Stock Up 1.5 %

Shares of Procter & Gamble stock traded up $2.42 during trading on Monday, hitting $160.56. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 8,925,924 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,958,951. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a current ratio of 0.69. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $159.21 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $153.13. The company has a market capitalization of $377.80 billion, a PE ratio of 26.24, a P/E/G ratio of 3.19 and a beta of 0.44. The Procter & Gamble Company has a 52 week low of $141.45 and a 52 week high of $163.14.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 19th. The company reported $1.52 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.42 by $0.10. Procter & Gamble had a net margin of 18.00% and a return on equity of 33.77%. The firm had revenue of $20.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.43 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.37 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up .6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.53 earnings per share for the current year.

Procter & Gamble Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 19th will be paid a $1.0065 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 18th. This is a positive change from Procter & Gamble’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.94. This represents a $4.03 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.51%. Procter & Gamble’s payout ratio is currently 65.85%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently commented on PG. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on shares of Procter & Gamble in a report on Friday, March 1st. They set a “neutral” rating and a $168.00 target price on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $156.00 to $157.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 24th. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $172.00 to $178.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 24th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $162.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 24th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $169.00 to $162.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 18th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $168.76.

Insider Transactions at Procter & Gamble

In other news, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 22,000 shares of Procter & Gamble stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 23rd. The shares were 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 directly owns 36,845 shares in the company, valued at $5,943,835.40. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, CEO R. Alexandra Keith sold 776 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $158.11, for a total value of $122,693.36. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 4,859 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $768,256.49. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 22,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.32, for a total transaction of $3,549,040.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 36,845 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,943,835.40. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 279,063 shares of company stock worth $43,187,745 over the last three months. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Procter & Gamble Company Profile

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.