Van Cleef Asset Management Inc Raises Holdings in The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG)

Van Cleef Asset Management Inc grew its holdings in The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) by 9.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 14,013 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 1,250 shares during the quarter. Van Cleef Asset Management Inc’s holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $2,053,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wyrmwood Management LLC bought a new position in Procter & Gamble in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Naples Money Management LLC bought a new stake in Procter & Gamble in the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Criterion Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Procter & Gamble during the fourth quarter valued at about $33,000. Mendota Financial Group LLC lifted its position 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 buying an additional 261 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Morton Brown Family Wealth LLC grew its position in Procter & Gamble by 206.6% in the 4th quarter. Morton Brown Family Wealth LLC now owns 417 shares of the company’s stock valued at $61,000 after acquiring an additional 281 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.77% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other Procter & Gamble news, CEO Ma. Fatima Francisco sold 45,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $156.00, for a total value of $7,020,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 973 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $151,788. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other Procter & Gamble news, CEO Ma. Fatima Francisco sold 45,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, January 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $156.00, for a total value of $7,020,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 973 shares in the company, valued at approximately $151,788. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Susan Street Whaley sold 3,865 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.60, for a total value of $620,719.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 11,886 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,908,891.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 100,865 shares of company stock worth $16,029,280 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Procter & Gamble Price Performance

Shares of PG stock traded down $0.05 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $162.55. 7,093,838 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,973,202. The Procter & Gamble Company has a 52-week low of $141.45 and a 52-week high of $164.32. The company has a quick ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $159.46 and a 200 day moving average of $153.32. The company has a market cap of $383.64 billion, a PE ratio of 26.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.28 and a beta of 0.44.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 19th. The company reported $1.52 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.42 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $20.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.43 billion. Procter & Gamble had a net margin of 18.00% and a return on equity of 33.91%. The business’s revenue was up .6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.37 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Procter & Gamble Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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. 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 2.48%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 18th. Procter & Gamble’s dividend payout ratio is currently 65.85%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have commented on PG shares. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on Procter & Gamble in a report on Friday, March 1st. They set a “neutral” rating and a $168.00 target price on the stock. Argus increased their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $180.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday. Raymond James lifted their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $170.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $172.00 to $171.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $162.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 24th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $169.76.

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.