RWC Asset Management LLP Has $23.53 Million Position in The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG)

RWC Asset Management LLP lowered its stake in The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) by 5.5% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 160,584 shares of the company’s stock after selling 9,326 shares during the quarter. Procter & Gamble comprises 1.4% of RWC Asset Management LLP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 24th largest position. RWC Asset Management LLP’s holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $23,532,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of PG. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its stake in Procter & Gamble by 9.4% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 35,608,913 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,193,916,000 after acquiring an additional 3,047,557 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp boosted its stake in Procter & Gamble by 2.3% in the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 29,313,150 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,275,616,000 after acquiring an additional 670,862 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in Procter & Gamble by 0.8% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 16,003,260 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,298,184,000 after acquiring an additional 131,339 shares during the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada boosted its position in shares of Procter & Gamble by 3.2% during the third quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 11,170,305 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,629,299,000 after purchasing an additional 346,925 shares in the last quarter. Finally, California Public Employees Retirement System boosted its position in shares of Procter & Gamble by 17.1% during the fourth quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 9,492,039 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,390,963,000 after purchasing an additional 1,387,539 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.77% of the company’s stock.

Procter & Gamble Stock Performance

Shares of Procter & Gamble stock traded down $1.26 during trading on Friday, hitting $161.29. 5,659,784 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,820,118. The stock has a market capitalization of $380.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.30 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $159.64 and a 200-day moving average price of $153.51. The Procter & Gamble Company has a 1-year low of $141.45 and a 1-year high of $164.32. The company has a current ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 19th. The company reported $1.52 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.42 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $20.20 billion for 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%. Procter & Gamble’s revenue for the quarter was up .6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.37 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.55 EPS for the current fiscal 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 dividend of $1.0065 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 18th. This is a positive change from Procter & Gamble’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.94. This represents a $4.03 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.50%. Procter & Gamble’s payout ratio is currently 65.85%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on PG shares. StockNews.com cut shares of Procter & Gamble from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 29th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $168.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Argus lifted their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $180.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $156.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 24th. Finally, Raymond James boosted their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $170.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 24th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Procter & Gamble presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $169.76.

Insider Transactions at Procter & Gamble

In related news, insider Susan Street Whaley sold 3,865 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 23rd. The shares were 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, insider Susan Street Whaley sold 3,865 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 23rd. The shares were 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO R. Alexandra Keith sold 776 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $158.11, for a total transaction of $122,693.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 4,859 shares in the company, valued at approximately $768,256.49. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 100,865 shares of company stock worth $16,029,280 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

About Procter & Gamble

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.