Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. Has $19.59 Million Position in The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG)

Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. grew its position in The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) by 35.9% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 133,651 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 35,271 shares during the quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc.’s holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $19,586,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Avestar Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 2.7% in the third quarter. Avestar Capital LLC now owns 36,139 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,271,000 after buying an additional 964 shares in the last quarter. Ascent Wealth Partners LLC lifted its stake in Procter & Gamble by 94.5% in the third quarter. Ascent Wealth Partners LLC now owns 2,638 shares of the company’s stock valued at $385,000 after buying an additional 1,282 shares during the period. Plimoth Trust Co. LLC raised its position in shares of Procter & Gamble by 1.0% during the third quarter. Plimoth Trust Co. LLC now owns 39,312 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,734,000 after purchasing an additional 374 shares during the period. Bill Few Associates Inc. grew its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 1.0% during the third quarter. Bill Few Associates Inc. now owns 30,885 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,505,000 after buying an additional 310 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 39,243 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,724,000 after acquiring an additional 106 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.77% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Procter & Gamble

In other news, insider Balaji Purushothaman sold 28,369 shares of Procter & Gamble stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.49, for a total value of $4,581,309.81. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 11,507 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,858,265.43. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, CEO R. Alexandra Keith sold 776 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $158.11, for a total value of $122,693.36. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 4,859 shares in the company, valued at $768,256.49. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Balaji Purushothaman sold 28,369 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.49, for a total value of $4,581,309.81. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 11,507 shares in the company, valued at $1,858,265.43. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 86,865 shares of company stock worth $14,059,180. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have weighed in on PG shares. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on Procter & Gamble in a report on Friday, March 1st. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $168.00 price target on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on Procter & Gamble from $169.00 to $162.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 18th. Barclays lifted their price objective on Procter & Gamble from $168.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 23rd. Raymond James lifted their price target on Procter & Gamble from $170.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 24th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Procter & Gamble from $162.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 24th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $169.76.

Procter & Gamble Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:PG traded up $0.44 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $163.84. The stock had a trading volume of 5,599,779 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,933,998. The Procter & Gamble Company has a 1 year low of $141.45 and a 1 year high of $164.49. The company has a current ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $159.88 and its 200 day moving average price is $153.97. The company has a market cap of $386.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.31 and a beta of 0.43.

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

Procter & Gamble Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 19th will be issued a $1.0065 dividend. This represents a $4.03 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.46%. This is an increase from Procter & Gamble’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.94. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 18th. Procter & Gamble’s dividend payout ratio is presently 65.85%.

Procter & Gamble 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.