P&G Gets Target Hike as Barclays Calls Move a “Flight to Safety”

The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) is included among the 13 Best Dividend Kings to Buy in 2026.

On January 16, Barclays analyst Lauren Lieberman raised the firm’s price target on The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) to $155 from $151 and maintained an Equal Weight rating on the stock. The change was part of Barclays’ broader Q4 earnings preview for the consumer staples space, where it updated targets across the group. Barclays said the recent “enthusiasm” around P&G looks driven by “a flight to safety,” rather than improving fundamentals. The firm also said it is still cautious on both the company and the wider sector. Looking ahead, the analyst warned that oil and currency headwinds could become a bigger issue in 2026.

P&G’s stock has had a rough year. Shares are down close to 11% over the past 12 months as the company has had to operate in an inflation-heavy environment where shoppers are far more price-conscious. Consumers are actively trading down, comparing prices more often, and finding cheaper alternatives more easily than before. That pressure has forced P&G to maneuver more aggressively, and it has also contributed to a few quarters of revenue and profit coming in below expectations. What stands out is that the pressure has lasted longer than many investors expected when inflation first started pushing into the category.

Even so, P&G has still managed to grow. In its fiscal first quarter, which ended September 30, sales rose 2%. Price and mix each added 1 percentage point to growth, while volumes were flat. The company’s sales figures were also adjusted to remove currency translation impacts and the effect of acquisitions and divestitures.

The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) is a global consumer products company that sells branded packaged goods across multiple categories to consumers around the world.

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