Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) Coverage Initiated by Analysts at StockNews.com

Equities researchers at StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) in a note issued to investors on Tuesday. The brokerage set a “hold” rating on the business services provider’s stock.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $26.00 to $34.00 in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $32.00 to $39.00 in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Barclays raised shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $32.00 to $36.00 in a research note on Friday, January 24th. UBS Group upgraded Interpublic Group of Companies from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price target for the company from $29.00 to $27.00 in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, BNP Paribas upgraded Interpublic Group of Companies from an “underperform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $38.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $33.50.

Interpublic Group of Companies Stock Down 2.0 %

Interpublic Group of Companies stock opened at $25.98 on Tuesday. Interpublic Group of Companies has a 12 month low of $25.85 and a 12 month high of $33.05. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.68 billion, a PE ratio of 14.19 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.09 and a quick ratio of 1.09. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $27.51 and a 200-day simple moving average of $29.04.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The business services provider reported $1.11 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.15 by ($0.04). Interpublic Group of Companies had a net margin of 6.45% and a return on equity of 27.10%. On average, analysts anticipate that Interpublic Group of Companies will post 2.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Interpublic Group of Companies announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, February 12th that authorizes the company to repurchase $155.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the business services provider to purchase up to 1.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Transactions at Interpublic Group of Companies

In other Interpublic Group of Companies news, CFO Ellen Tobi Johnson sold 21,427 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.82, for a total value of $574,672.14. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 143,373 shares in the company, valued at $3,845,263.86. The trade was a 13.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.42% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Interpublic Group of Companies

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Allworth Financial LP raised its holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies by 75.8% during the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,113 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 480 shares in the last quarter. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new stake in Interpublic Group of Companies during the 4th quarter worth $36,000. Raiffeisen Bank International AG purchased a new stake in Interpublic Group of Companies in the fourth quarter valued at $42,000. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new position in Interpublic Group of Companies in the third quarter valued at $60,000. Finally, Transamerica Financial Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 243,700.0% during the third quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 2,438 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $78,000 after purchasing an additional 2,437 shares during the last quarter. 98.43% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.