The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) Receives Average Rating of “Hold” from Analysts

Shares of The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) have been assigned an average rating of “Hold” from the seven research firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $34.88.

Several equities analysts have commented on IPG shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Interpublic Group of Companies from $37.00 to $36.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Interpublic Group of Companies from $32.00 to $31.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. Finally, Bank of America dropped their price objective on Interpublic Group of Companies from $38.00 to $37.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, June 25th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its stake in Interpublic Group of Companies by 12.1% during the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 14,096,675 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $459,975,000 after buying an additional 1,516,975 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Interpublic Group of Companies in the fourth quarter valued at about $32,620,000. American Century Companies Inc. raised its position in Interpublic Group of Companies by 24.6% in the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 4,635,459 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $132,852,000 after purchasing an additional 916,574 shares in the last quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. lifted its stake in Interpublic Group of Companies by 101.9% during the first quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 1,690,523 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $55,162,000 after purchasing an additional 853,287 shares during the period. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP boosted its holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies by 12.7% during the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 6,922,608 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $225,954,000 after purchasing an additional 777,456 shares in the last quarter. 98.43% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Interpublic Group of Companies Stock Performance

IPG stock opened at $29.42 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $30.23 and a two-hundred day moving average of $31.41. Interpublic Group of Companies has a 12 month low of $27.20 and a 12 month high of $40.90. The company has a market capitalization of $11.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.47, a P/E/G ratio of 3.13 and a beta of 1.12. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 24th. The business services provider reported $0.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.35 by $0.01. Interpublic Group of Companies had a net margin of 9.97% and a return on equity of 29.70%. The firm had revenue of $2.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.18 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.38 earnings per share. Interpublic Group of Companies’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Interpublic Group of Companies will post 2.8 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Interpublic Group of Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 18th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 4th were given a dividend of $0.33 per share. This represents a $1.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.49%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 4th. Interpublic Group of Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 46.98%.

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.