Semanteon Capital Management LP Takes $1.26 Million Position in The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG)

Semanteon Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund acquired 38,707 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,263,000. Interpublic Group of Companies comprises 0.9% of Semanteon Capital Management LP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th biggest position.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 85.6% during the 4th quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 229,511 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $7,491,000 after buying an additional 105,858 shares in the last quarter. Vest Financial LLC increased its holdings in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 30.9% in the 4th quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 392,769 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $12,820,000 after buying an additional 92,692 shares during the last quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 32.5% in the 3rd quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC now owns 99,678 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $2,857,000 after buying an additional 24,459 shares during the last quarter. UBS Group AG increased its holdings in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 16.2% in the 3rd quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 338,048 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $9,688,000 after buying an additional 47,184 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Qube Research & Technologies Ltd increased its holdings in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 212.9% in the 3rd quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 827,224 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $23,708,000 after buying an additional 562,823 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 98.43% of the company’s stock.

Interpublic Group of Companies Trading Down 0.8 %

Shares of NYSE:IPG traded down $0.24 during trading on Thursday, reaching $31.16. 5,301,922 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,084,582. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 1.06. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $31.91 and its 200-day simple moving average is $31.35. The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $27.20 and a 12-month high of $40.95. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.76 billion, a PE ratio of 10.93, a P/E/G ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.13.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 24th. The business services provider reported $0.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.35 by $0.01. Interpublic Group of Companies had a net margin of 10.09% and a return on equity of 30.52%. The firm had revenue of $2.50 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.18 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.38 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. will post 2.77 EPS for the current year.

Interpublic Group of Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 1st were paid a dividend of $0.33 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 29th. This is an increase from Interpublic Group of Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. This represents a $1.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.24%. Interpublic Group of Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 46.32%.

Insider Activity

In other Interpublic Group of Companies news, EVP Andrew Bonzani sold 40,468 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.20, for a total value of $1,303,069.60. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 70,431 shares in the company, valued at $2,267,878.20. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, CEO Philippe Krakowsky sold 150,403 shares of Interpublic Group of Companies stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.20, for a total transaction of $4,842,976.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 415,776 shares in the company, valued at $13,387,987.20. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Andrew Bonzani sold 40,468 shares of Interpublic Group of Companies stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.20, for a total transaction of $1,303,069.60. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 70,431 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,267,878.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 249,646 shares of company stock worth $8,038,601. Corporate insiders own 0.42% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on IPG shares. UBS Group started coverage on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in a report on Thursday, January 11th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $36.00 target price on the stock. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from $38.00 to $37.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 9th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of 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. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $35.13.

Interpublic Group of Companies Company Profile

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.