Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) Lowered to Hold Rating by Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen cut shares of Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note released on Sunday morning.

Several other research analysts have also issued reports on CL. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Colgate-Palmolive in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $93.00 target price on shares of Colgate-Palmolive in a report on Friday, February 13th. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $95.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Colgate-Palmolive in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $86.00 to $94.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Sunday, February 1st. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Colgate-Palmolive has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $94.75.

Colgate-Palmolive Stock Down 0.0%

NYSE CL opened at $84.25 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 18.82. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $91.11 and its two-hundred day moving average is $83.37. The company has a market capitalization of $67.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.16, a PEG ratio of 3.78 and a beta of 0.28. Colgate-Palmolive has a 1-year low of $74.54 and a 1-year high of $99.33.

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 30th. The company reported $0.95 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.91 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $5.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.13 billion. Colgate-Palmolive had a return on equity of 353.72% and a net margin of 10.45%.The company’s revenue was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.91 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Colgate-Palmolive will post 3.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Colgate-Palmolive Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 20th will be paid a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.5%. This is a boost from Colgate-Palmolive’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 20th. Colgate-Palmolive’s dividend payout ratio is 79.39%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Colgate-Palmolive news, insider Sally Massey sold 15,851 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.03, for a total value of $1,506,320.53. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 13,751 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,306,757.53. This trade represents a 53.55% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider John Hazlin sold 20,989 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $94.25, for a total transaction of $1,978,213.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 17,645 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,663,041.25. This represents a 54.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 184,683 shares of company stock valued at $17,486,693. 0.41% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Colgate-Palmolive

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of CL. Cornerstone Planning LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive in the 4th quarter valued at $1,442,000. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. lifted its stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 6.1% during the fourth quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 182,223 shares of the company’s stock valued at $14,399,000 after acquiring an additional 10,512 shares during the period. World Investment Advisors lifted its stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 102.4% during the fourth quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 25,704 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,031,000 after acquiring an additional 13,007 shares during the period. Corient Private Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in Colgate-Palmolive by 13.6% in the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 541,110 shares of the company’s stock valued at $42,789,000 after acquiring an additional 64,926 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Auto Owners Insurance Co increased its position in Colgate-Palmolive by 7,802.0% in the fourth quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 442,512 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,497,000 after purchasing an additional 436,912 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.41% of the company’s stock.

Colgate-Palmolive Company Profile

Colgate-Palmolive Company is a global consumer products company with a long history in household and personal care categories. The business traces its roots to the early 19th century and has evolved into a multinational manufacturer and marketer of everyday consumer goods focused on health, hygiene and home care.

The company’s core activities center on oral care, personal care, home care and pet nutrition. Its product portfolio includes toothpaste, toothbrushes and mouthwash in oral care; soaps, body washes and deodorants in personal care; dishwashing liquids, surface cleaners and other household products in home care; and scientifically formulated pet foods under its pet nutrition business.