Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI Acquires Shares of 4,710 Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL)

Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI acquired a new stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 4,710 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $375,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new stake in Colgate-Palmolive during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Avion Wealth grew its stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 78.1% in the fourth quarter. Avion Wealth now owns 399 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 175 shares during the period. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive in the fourth quarter worth approximately $34,000. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 142.0% in the third quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 496 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 291 shares during the period. Finally, West Branch Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 24.0% in the fourth quarter. West Branch Capital LLC now owns 682 shares of the company’s stock worth $54,000 after acquiring an additional 132 shares during the period. 80.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Noel R. Wallace sold 50,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 274,179 shares in the company, valued at $22,797,983.85. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other Colgate-Palmolive news, CEO Noel R. Wallace sold 69,948 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $84.22, for a total transaction of $5,891,020.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 286,881 shares in the company, valued at $24,161,117.82. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Noel R. Wallace sold 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now 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. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 232,371 shares of company stock worth $19,505,099. 0.37% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Colgate-Palmolive Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:CL opened at $87.44 on Monday. 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 company has a market capitalization of $71.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.34, a P/E/G ratio of 3.27 and a beta of 0.42. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $87.10 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $80.93.

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 26th. The company reported $0.87 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.85 by $0.02. Colgate-Palmolive had a net margin of 11.82% and a return on equity of 509.75%. The business had revenue of $4.95 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.89 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.77 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that Colgate-Palmolive will post 3.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Colgate-Palmolive Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced 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. This is a positive change from Colgate-Palmolive’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 19th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.29%. Colgate-Palmolive’s dividend payout ratio is currently 71.94%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently commented on CL shares. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $90.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, April 8th. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. TheStreet upgraded shares of Colgate-Palmolive from a “c+” rating to a “b+” rating in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $85.00 to $93.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 29th. Finally, Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $82.00 to $84.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, April 12th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Colgate-Palmolive presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $89.50.

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.