Stifel Nicolaus Boosts Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) Price Target to $95.00

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) had its target price upped by Stifel Nicolaus from $94.00 to $95.00 in a research note issued to investors on Monday morning, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a buy rating on the stock.

Other analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. UBS Group raised their price objective on Colgate-Palmolive from $93.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Monday, January 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Colgate-Palmolive from $88.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Thursday, January 18th. Raymond James upgraded Colgate-Palmolive from a market perform rating to an outperform rating and set a $91.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Monday, January 29th. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $82.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a report on Friday, April 12th. Finally, Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Colgate-Palmolive presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $91.44.

Colgate-Palmolive Price Performance

Colgate-Palmolive stock opened at $91.90 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 13.21. The firm has a market capitalization of $75.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.08, a PEG ratio of 3.37 and a beta of 0.42. The business has a 50-day moving average of $88.08 and a 200-day moving average of $81.99. Colgate-Palmolive has a 1 year low of $67.62 and a 1 year high of $92.54.

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 26th. The company reported $0.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.82 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $5.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.96 billion. Colgate-Palmolive had a net margin of 13.22% and a return on equity of 485.40%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.73 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Colgate-Palmolive will post 3.52 EPS for the current year.

Colgate-Palmolive Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Investors of record on Monday, April 22nd will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 19th. This is a boost from Colgate-Palmolive’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.18%. Colgate-Palmolive’s dividend payout ratio is 63.29%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Colgate-Palmolive

In related news, insider Jennifer Daniels sold 3,538 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $84.67, for a total transaction of $299,562.46. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 59,698 shares in the company, valued at $5,054,629.66. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In related news, insider Jennifer Daniels sold 3,538 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $84.67, for a total value of $299,562.46. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 59,698 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,054,629.66. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Noel R. Wallace sold 69,948 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $84.22, for a total value of $5,891,020.56. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 286,881 shares in the company, valued at approximately $24,161,117.82. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 159,048 shares of company stock worth $13,336,846 over the last ninety days. 0.37% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Colgate-Palmolive

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vest Financial LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 25.1% during the 4th quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 370,071 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,498,000 after buying an additional 74,337 shares during the period. Central Bank & Trust Co. grew its position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 22.1% in the fourth quarter. Central Bank & Trust Co. now owns 1,383 shares of the company’s stock valued at $110,000 after purchasing an additional 250 shares during the last quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC increased its stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 9.2% during the fourth quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 10,808 shares of the company’s stock worth $864,000 after purchasing an additional 910 shares during the period. Sarasin & Partners LLP lifted its holdings in Colgate-Palmolive by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Sarasin & Partners LLP now owns 4,053,634 shares of the company’s stock worth $323,115,000 after purchasing an additional 49,980 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Colgate-Palmolive by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC now owns 7,170 shares of the company’s stock valued at $571,000 after purchasing an additional 172 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.41% of the company’s stock.

About Colgate-Palmolive

Colgate-Palmolive Company, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells consumer products in the United States and internationally. It operates through two segments: Oral, Personal and Home Care; and Pet Nutrition. The Oral, Personal and Home Care segment offers toothpaste, toothbrushes, mouthwash, bar and liquid hand soaps, shower gels, shampoos, conditioners, deodorants and antiperspirants, skin health products, dishwashing detergents, fabric conditioners, household cleaners, and other related items.