Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S. Acquires 27,244 Shares of Colgate-Palmolive Company $CL

Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S. boosted its holdings in Colgate-Palmolive Company (NYSE:CL) by 3.6% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 776,697 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 27,244 shares during the quarter. Colgate-Palmolive accounts for 1.1% of Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 29th largest holding. Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S.’s holdings in Colgate-Palmolive were worth $61,374,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of CL. Maseco LLP bought a new position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Copia Wealth Management bought a new position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive during the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. Cloud Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive during the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,000. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates increased its position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 300.0% during the 4th quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 400 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Grove Bank & Trust increased its position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 182.6% during the 4th quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 407 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 263 shares during the last quarter. 80.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently commented on CL shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Colgate-Palmolive from $95.00 to $96.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on Colgate-Palmolive from $85.00 to $91.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “buy” rating and set a $99.00 price target on shares of Colgate-Palmolive in a research report on Monday, May 4th. TD Cowen restated a “hold” rating and set a $85.00 price target on shares of Colgate-Palmolive in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. Finally, Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Colgate-Palmolive in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $95.88.

Colgate-Palmolive Trading Up 0.1%

NYSE CL opened at $90.00 on Wednesday. Colgate-Palmolive Company has a fifty-two week low of $74.54 and a fifty-two week high of $99.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 16.33, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 1.02. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $86.17 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $84.92. The stock has a market cap of $72.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.67 and a beta of 0.31.

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) last released its earnings results on Friday, May 1st. The company reported $0.97 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.94 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $5.32 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.22 billion. Colgate-Palmolive had a return on equity of 386.76% and a net margin of 10.04%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.91 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Colgate-Palmolive Company will post 3.82 earnings per share for the current year.

Colgate-Palmolive Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 20th were paid a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, April 20th. This is a boost from Colgate-Palmolive’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. Colgate-Palmolive’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 82.49%.

About Colgate-Palmolive

Colgate-Palmolive Company is a global consumer products company with a long history in household and personal care categories. The business traces its roots to the early 19th century and has evolved into a multinational manufacturer and marketer of everyday consumer goods focused on health, hygiene and home care.

The company’s core activities center on oral care, personal care, home care and pet nutrition. Its product portfolio includes toothpaste, toothbrushes and mouthwash in oral care; soaps, body washes and deodorants in personal care; dishwashing liquids, surface cleaners and other household products in home care; and scientifically formulated pet foods under its pet nutrition business.