Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) is a global giant in the area of branded consumer products. This multinational corporation functions across 5 broad categories including: healthcare, family, baby and feminine care, home care and fabric care, grooming, hair and personal care. The stock is currently trading at $76.73 per share on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) with a 52-week high of $91.79 and a 52-week low of $65.02. The company sports a price/earnings ratio of 24.27 and an earnings per share of 2.50. At current prices, Procter & Gamble Co has a market capitalisation of $207.17 billion. The company’s dividend and yield is 3.48% or $2.65. The next earnings date will be reported on January 26, 2016.

Judging from the chart above, it is clear to see that there has been an uptick in performance since September 2015. The sharp selloff in August was a result of global equities weakness which saw $5 trillion wiped off worldwide markets as a result of China weakness. The company sports the following key statistics:

Overall, the number of analysts who rate Procter & Gamble Co a strong buy, a moderate buy or a hold has remained steady for the past 3 months. No analysts have rated Procter & Gamble Co a strong sell, and a slim minority rates the stock as a moderate sell. A full 95% of analysts rate Procter & Gamble a hold, a moderate buy or a strong buy. On 19 January 2016, Procter & Gamble was upgraded based on its results. Stifel boosted its rating on Procter & Gamble from a hold to a buy. The reason for this upgrade is that Stifel believes that operating profits will increase and that company sales will accelerate. This is a result of dramatic cost savings and share appreciations in the markets. The target price set by Stifel is $85 per share. I always impress upon traders the need to factor in the opinions of analysts, especially when holds become strong buys or strong sells.