Nomura Holdings Inc. Buys New Stake in The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG)

Nomura Holdings Inc. purchased a new position in shares of The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 7,718 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $252,000.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of IPG. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Interpublic Group of Companies in the fourth quarter worth approximately $32,620,000. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its stake in Interpublic Group of Companies by 24.6% during the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 4,635,459 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $132,852,000 after buying an additional 916,574 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP grew its holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies by 12.7% during the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 6,922,608 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $225,954,000 after acquiring an additional 777,456 shares during the period. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd raised its position in Interpublic Group of Companies by 212.9% in the third quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 827,224 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $23,708,000 after acquiring an additional 562,823 shares in the last quarter. Finally, KBC Group NV lifted its holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies by 101.9% in the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,068,063 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $34,862,000 after acquiring an additional 538,935 shares during the last quarter. 98.43% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Wells Fargo & Company lowered 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 note on Thursday, April 25th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $35.13.

Interpublic Group of Companies Price Performance

IPG stock opened at $29.46 on Monday. The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $27.20 and a one year high of $40.90. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $30.83 and a two-hundred day moving average of $31.78. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.12 billion, a PE ratio of 10.48, a P/E/G ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a current ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The business services provider reported $0.36 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.35 by $0.01. Interpublic Group of Companies had a net margin of 9.97% and a return on equity of 29.70%. The business had revenue of $2.50 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.18 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.38 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. will post 2.8 earnings per share for the current year.

Interpublic Group of Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 18th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 4th were issued a dividend of $0.33 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 4th. This represents a $1.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.48%. Interpublic Group of Companies’s dividend payout ratio is 46.98%.

About Interpublic Group of Companies

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.