New York, January 16, 2026, 14:16 EST — Regular session
- Procter & Gamble shares dropped roughly 0.6% in afternoon trading, marking their second consecutive day of losses
- The company advised shareholders to turn down an unsolicited “mini-tender” offer, which came in significantly under the market price
- Attention turns to P&G’s quarterly results and guidance set for January 22
Procter & Gamble (PG.N) shares slipped roughly 0.6% to $143.76 in afternoon trading on Friday, mirroring a decline seen across the broader consumer staples sector.
The company is warning shareholders to disregard an unsolicited “mini-tender” offer from Potemkin Limited, which seeks to buy up to 50,000 shares at $100 each. P&G said this price is well below the current trading level. According to the company, mini-tender offers target less than 5% of outstanding shares and dodge some of the safeguards that apply to larger tender offers under U.S. securities laws. 1
Why it matters now: Options contracts expire on Friday, and with earnings season heating up, individual stocks may see bigger moves even if the broader index stays steady. “I think this options expiration will allow the S&P 500 to start moving around a bit more,” said Brent Kochuba, founder of options analytics service SpotGamma. 2
UBS analyst Peter Grom lowered his price target on P&G to $161 from $176 but maintained a Buy rating, citing a “challenging” operating environment for the sector. He does, however, see potential for fundamentals to get better by 2026. 3
P&G’s shares fell 1.18% on Thursday to $144.63, breaking a five-day winning streak and trailing some other consumer stocks amid a mostly stronger market day, according to MarketWatch data. 4
Markets have been volatile heading into the long weekend. U.S. stocks showed little movement earlier, with chipmakers pushing gains while investors stayed cautious ahead of Monday’s Martin Luther King Jr. holiday closure, Reuters reported. 5
P&G is set to release its fiscal second-quarter earnings and hold a conference call on January 22 at 8:30 a.m. ET. This date has taken on added significance for traders following the stock’s recent dip. 6
According to a Zacks preview featured on Nasdaq, analysts are looking for quarterly earnings around $1.87 per share on roughly $22.28 billion in revenue. That tight forecast leaves little margin for error in volumes, pricing, or margins. 7
The mini-tender warning doesn’t alter the business landscape. The real risk comes next week: if signs emerge that shoppers are cutting back more quickly than anticipated, or costs are squeezing margins tighter, the shares could come under renewed pressure following this week’s drop.
Investors are expected to dismiss the Potemkin offer as background noise for the moment, focusing instead on P&G’s comments on demand, pricing, and its full-year outlook ahead of the January 22 report.
