Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) has earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-one analysts that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and twelve have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $102.63.

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut Colgate-Palmolive from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $107.00 to $109.00 in a report on Monday, September 9th. UBS Group increased their price target on Colgate-Palmolive from $119.00 to $122.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 4th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Colgate-Palmolive from $92.00 to $97.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 10th. BNP Paribas started coverage on Colgate-Palmolive in a research note on Monday, June 24th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $109.00 price target for the company. Finally, Bank of America increased their price target on Colgate-Palmolive from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 10th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Colgate-Palmolive news, Director Martina Hundmejean sold 2,313 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.86, for a total transaction of $240,228.18. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 11,755 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,220,874.30. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, EVP Gregory Malcolm sold 10,533 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.10, for a total value of $1,085,952.30. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 10,377 shares in the company, valued at $1,069,868.70. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Martina Hundmejean sold 2,313 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.86, for a total value of $240,228.18. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 11,755 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,220,874.30. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 43,490 shares of company stock valued at $4,486,063 over the last ninety days. 0.34% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Colgate-Palmolive

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of CL. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive during the fourth quarter worth $731,843,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its holdings in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 27.8% in the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 41,067,130 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,698,096,000 after purchasing an additional 8,933,912 shares during the period. Swedbank AB purchased a new position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive in the first quarter worth about $286,370,000. Acadian Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 108.4% in the second quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 5,682,280 shares of the company’s stock worth $551,367,000 after purchasing an additional 2,955,442 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its holdings in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 40.7% during the second quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 8,969,498 shares of the company’s stock worth $870,400,000 after purchasing an additional 2,593,313 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.41% of the company’s stock.

Colgate-Palmolive Price Performance

Shares of Colgate-Palmolive stock opened at $105.72 on Monday. Colgate-Palmolive has a one year low of $67.62 and a one year high of $109.30. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $102.11 and its 200 day moving average is $95.17. The stock has a market cap of $86.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.46, a P/E/G ratio of 3.72 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 16.90, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a current ratio of 1.06.

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) last announced its earnings results on Friday, July 26th. The company reported $0.91 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.87 by $0.04. Colgate-Palmolive had a return on equity of 470.19% and a net margin of 14.21%. The company had revenue of $5.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.77 EPS. Colgate-Palmolive’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Colgate-Palmolive will post 3.57 earnings per share for the current year.

Colgate-Palmolive Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 18th will be paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.89%. Colgate-Palmolive’s payout ratio is currently 63.29%.

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.