** Procter & Gamble PG.N beat quarterly estimates for sales and profit on Wednesday as demand for its dish soaps and toilet paper grew in the United States, while the China market showed signs of recovery after a few rough quarters
** Median PT of 29 brokerages covering the company's shares is $182 - LSEG
REACCELERATION OF U.S. CATEGORIES KEY
** RBC ("sector perform"," PT: $164) expects sales trajectory to likely remain in focus for the remainder of the fiscal year
** Morgan Stanley ("overweight," PT: $191) sees improving organic sales growth in Q2, and potential for further improvement in H2
** Brokerage anticipates lower magnitude of negative EPS revisions than peers, thanks to flexible ad spending after prior heavy reinvestment
** Piper Sandler ("neutral," PT: $173) says PG needs to give more proof of sustainable gains and smart spending to boost the stock, as current green shoots in innovation and certain markets aren't enough for investors yet
** Evercore ISI ("outperform," PT: $180) says "true operating leverage requires U.S. category growth to reaccelerate to ~3% for Procter to drive operating leverage"