W.H. Cornerstone Investments Inc. Purchases 1,074 Shares of The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG)

W.H. Cornerstone Investments Inc. increased its holdings in The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) by 14.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,511 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,074 shares during the period. Procter & Gamble comprises approximately 1.0% of W.H. Cornerstone Investments Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 27th biggest holding. W.H. Cornerstone Investments Inc.’s holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $1,247,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Dfpg Investments LLC lifted its stake in Procter & Gamble by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Dfpg Investments LLC now owns 24,892 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,680,000 after purchasing an additional 424 shares during the last quarter. Garrett Wealth Advisory Group LLC increased its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 6.3% in the 3rd quarter. Garrett Wealth Advisory Group LLC now owns 4,419 shares of the company’s stock worth $645,000 after acquiring an additional 260 shares during the last quarter. Herold Advisors Inc. raised its stake in Procter & Gamble by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Herold Advisors Inc. now owns 26,592 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,897,000 after acquiring an additional 581 shares during the period. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 14.6% during the third quarter. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC now owns 94,424 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,772,000 after purchasing an additional 12,016 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in Procter & Gamble by 0.8% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 16,003,260 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,298,184,000 after purchasing an additional 131,339 shares during the period. 65.77% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently commented on PG shares. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $156.00 to $157.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 24th. StockNews.com cut Procter & Gamble from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 29th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price objective on Procter & Gamble from $172.00 to $171.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 22nd. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on Procter & Gamble from $155.00 to $157.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 24th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Procter & Gamble from $162.00 to $170.00 and gave the company 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $169.76.

Procter & Gamble Price Performance

Shares of PG traded up $0.62 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $164.46. The stock had a trading volume of 5,581,692 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,941,715. The company has a market capitalization of $388.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.34 and a beta of 0.43. 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 Procter & Gamble Company has a 12-month low of $141.45 and a 12-month high of $164.71. The company’s 50-day moving average is $160.01 and its 200 day moving average is $154.25.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last issued its earnings results on Friday, April 19th. The company reported $1.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 return on equity of 33.91% and a net margin of 18.00%. Procter & Gamble’s revenue for the quarter was up .6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.37 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict 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. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 19th will be paid a $1.0065 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 18th. This is an increase from Procter & Gamble’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.94. This represents a $4.03 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.45%. Procter & Gamble’s payout ratio is currently 65.85%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Procter & Gamble

In related news, 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 transaction of $620,719.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 11,886 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,908,891.60. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, insider Susan Street Whaley sold 3,865 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.60, for a total transaction of $620,719.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 11,886 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,908,891.60. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 22,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.32, for a total transaction of $3,549,040.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 36,845 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,943,835.40. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 86,865 shares of company stock worth $14,059,180 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

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.