Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) has earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the fifteen brokerages that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and twelve have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $89.50.

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. UBS Group upped their target price on Colgate-Palmolive from $93.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on Colgate-Palmolive in a report on Friday, March 1st. They issued a “buy” rating and a $93.00 price target on the stock. Raymond James raised Colgate-Palmolive from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $91.00 price target on the stock in a report on Monday, January 29th. StockNews.com cut Colgate-Palmolive from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 20th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on Colgate-Palmolive from $89.00 to $94.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 10th.

Colgate-Palmolive Stock Performance

CL opened at $86.70 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $71.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.24 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.59, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.71. Colgate-Palmolive has a 1-year low of $67.62 and a 1-year high of $90.37. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $87.02 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $80.67.

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) last released its earnings results on Friday, January 26th. The company reported $0.87 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.85 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $4.95 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.89 billion. Colgate-Palmolive had a return on equity of 509.75% and a net margin of 11.82%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.77 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Colgate-Palmolive will post 3.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Colgate-Palmolive Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 22nd will be issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.31%. This is a boost from Colgate-Palmolive’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 19th. Colgate-Palmolive’s dividend payout ratio is 71.94%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Colgate-Palmolive

In other Colgate-Palmolive news, CEO Noel R. Wallace sold 50,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $83.15, for a total transaction of $4,157,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 274,179 shares in the company, valued at $22,797,983.85. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, insider Jennifer Daniels sold 3,538 shares of the 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 transaction, the insider now owns 59,698 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,054,629.66. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Noel R. Wallace sold 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $83.15, for a total transaction of $4,157,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 274,179 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $22,797,983.85. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 232,371 shares of company stock worth $19,505,099 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CL. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new position in Colgate-Palmolive in the third quarter worth about $25,000. Union Savings Bank increased its holdings in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 76.6% during the fourth quarter. Union Savings Bank now owns 309 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 134 shares in the last quarter. Garner Asset Management Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive during the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. Avion Wealth increased its holdings in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 78.1% during the fourth quarter. Avion Wealth now owns 399 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 175 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive during the fourth quarter worth approximately $32,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.41% of the company’s stock.

Colgate-Palmolive Company Profile

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.