Xponance Inc. Buys 13,342 Shares of Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL)

Xponance Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) by 7.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 182,775 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 13,342 shares during the quarter. Xponance Inc.’s holdings in Colgate-Palmolive were worth $14,569,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in CL. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 4.0% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,444,508 shares of the company’s stock valued at $185,376,000 after buying an additional 94,837 shares during the period. Covestor Ltd boosted its position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 71.9% during the first quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 2,451 shares of the company’s stock valued at $186,000 after buying an additional 1,025 shares during the period. Mackenzie Financial Corp boosted its position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 8.5% during the first quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 1,882,813 shares of the company’s stock valued at $142,774,000 after buying an additional 146,936 shares during the period. First Western Trust Bank purchased a new position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive during the first quarter valued at approximately $569,000. Finally, Wsfs Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive during the first quarter valued at approximately $288,000. 80.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently issued reports on CL shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Colgate-Palmolive from $88.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 18th. 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 for the company. Stifel Nicolaus boosted 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. TheStreet upgraded Colgate-Palmolive from a “c+” rating to a “b+” rating in a report on Friday, January 26th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Colgate-Palmolive from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 20th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $89.50.

Colgate-Palmolive Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of CL stock traded up $0.27 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $86.48. 528,740 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,498,903. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $87.02 and its 200-day moving average is $80.67. The company has a market cap of $71.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.19, a P/E/G ratio of 3.26 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.59. Colgate-Palmolive has a fifty-two week low of $67.62 and a fifty-two week high of $90.37.

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 26th. The company reported $0.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.85 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $4.95 billion for 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 business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.77 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Colgate-Palmolive will post 3.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Colgate-Palmolive Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 22nd will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 19th. This is an increase from Colgate-Palmolive’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.31%. Colgate-Palmolive’s dividend payout ratio is presently 69.06%.

Insider Activity at Colgate-Palmolive

In related news, EVP Gregory Malcolm sold 8,930 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $85.35, for a total value of $762,175.50. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 8,043 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $686,470.05. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, Director C Martin Harris sold 2,760 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $84.50, for a total value of $233,220.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 19,272 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,628,484. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Gregory Malcolm sold 8,930 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $85.35, for a total value of $762,175.50. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 8,043 shares in the company, valued at $686,470.05. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 232,371 shares of company stock valued at $19,505,099 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Colgate-Palmolive 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.