MML Investors Services LLC Boosts Stock Holdings in The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG)

MML Investors Services LLC lifted its holdings in shares of The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG - Free Report) by 3.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 429,169 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 13,678 shares during the quarter. MML Investors Services LLC's holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $71,950,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.Get Procter & Gamble alerts:3 Safe Dividend Stocks as Investors Seek to Reset DiversificationOther hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. NewSquare Capital LLC lifted its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 933.3% during the 4th quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 155 shares of the company's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. Hoey Investments Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 321.7% in the fourth quarter. Hoey Investments Inc. now owns 194 shares of the company's stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 148 shares in the last quarter. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA bought a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Atlantic Private Wealth LLC increased its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 95.3% during the 4th quarter. Atlantic Private Wealth LLC now owns 207 shares of the company's stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 101 shares during the period. Finally, Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Procter & Gamble in the 4th quarter worth approximately $38,000. 65.77% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Insider Buying and SellingIn other news, insider Marc S. Pritchard sold 90,450 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $163.84, for a total transaction of $14,819,328.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 172,814 shares of the company's stock, valued at $28,313,845.76. This represents a 34.36 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Gary A. Coombe sold 18,000 shares of Procter & Gamble stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $171.66, for a total value of $3,089,880.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 22,051 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,785,274.66. The trade was a 44.94 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 143,450 shares of company stock worth $23,988,008. 0.18% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders. Wall Street Analyst Weigh InThe "Quality" Rotation: Back to Basics Investing Several research firms have recently weighed in on PG. DA Davidson reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $209.00 price target on shares of Procter & Gamble in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. UBS Group reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Procter & Gamble in a report on Monday, February 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $181.00 to $172.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Barclays reissued an "equal weight" rating on shares of Procter & Gamble in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a "sector perform" rating and issued a $164.00 target price on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $181.50.Get Our Latest Report on Procter & GambleProcter & Gamble Stock Up 2.5 %Beyond a Market Correction, Moves to Make NowPG stock opened at $170.59 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $400.01 billion, a PE ratio of 27.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.43. The business has a 50 day moving average of $168.39 and a 200 day moving average of $168.48. The Procter & Gamble Company has a twelve month low of $156.69 and a twelve month high of $180.43. The company has a quick ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The company reported $1.88 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.86 by $0.02. Procter & Gamble had a net margin of 18.35% and a return on equity of 33.00%. The firm had revenue of $21.88 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $21.66 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.84 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.91 EPS for the current fiscal year. Procter & Gamble Increases DividendThe firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Investors of record on Monday, April 21st will be given a dividend of $1.0568 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 21st. This is a boost from Procter & Gamble's previous quarterly dividend of $1.01. This represents a $4.23 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.48%. Procter & Gamble's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 67.20%. About Procter & Gamble (Free Report)Procter & Gamble Co engages in the provision of branded consumer packaged goods. It operates through the following segments: Beauty, Grooming, Health Care, Fabric and Home Care, and Baby, Feminine and Family Care. The Beauty segment offers hair, skin, and personal care. The Grooming segment consists of shave care like female and male blades and razors, pre and post shave products, and appliances.Read MoreFive stocks we like better than Procter & GambleThe Significance of a Trillion-Dollar Market Cap Goes Beyond a NumberJ.B. Hunt Transport Overcorrects Into a Buying OpportunityTop Biotech Stocks: Exploring Innovation OpportunitiesAppLovin: Can Record Profits Overcome Market Skepticism?Stock Market Sectors: What Are They and How Many Are There? MarketBeat Week in Review – 04/14 - 04/18Want to see what other hedge funds are holding PG? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG - Free Report).This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.Should You Invest $1,000 in Procter & Gamble Right Now?Before you consider Procter & Gamble, you'll want to hear this.MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and Procter & Gamble wasn't on the list.While Procter & Gamble currently has a Moderate Buy rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys.View The Five Stocks Here