AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc Acquires 31,897 Shares of Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL)

AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc raised its holdings in Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) by 3.1% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,068,357 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 31,897 shares during the quarter. Colgate-Palmolive accounts for 1.5% of AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 15th largest position. AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc owned approximately 0.13% of Colgate-Palmolive worth $100,006,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in CL. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC bought a new position in Colgate-Palmolive during the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Centricity Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive during the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA purchased a new stake in Colgate-Palmolive in the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Briaud Financial Planning Inc bought a new stake in Colgate-Palmolive in the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. 80.41% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Colgate-Palmolive Price Performance

Colgate-Palmolive stock opened at $91.89 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $74.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.11, a PEG ratio of 4.20 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 13.40. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $92.02 and a 200 day simple moving average of $91.26. Colgate-Palmolive has a 52 week low of $85.32 and a 52 week high of $109.30.

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 25th. The company reported $0.91 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.86 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $4.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.92 billion. Colgate-Palmolive had a return on equity of 477.77% and a net margin of 14.38%. Colgate-Palmolive’s revenue was down 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.86 earnings per share. On average, research analysts forecast that Colgate-Palmolive will post 3.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Colgate-Palmolive announced that its board has authorized a share buyback plan on Thursday, March 20th that permits the company to buyback $5.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to reacquire up to 6.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Colgate-Palmolive Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 17th were issued a $0.52 dividend. This is a positive change from Colgate-Palmolive’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 17th. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.26%. Colgate-Palmolive’s dividend payout ratio is presently 58.76%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

CL has been the topic of several recent research reports. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $111.00 to $104.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $95.00 to $93.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Raymond James reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $105.00 price objective (down from $110.00) on shares of Colgate-Palmolive in a report on Monday, February 3rd. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $105.00 to $109.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Colgate-Palmolive from $95.00 to $103.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, April 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $102.12.

About Colgate-Palmolive

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.