Colgate-Palmolive Company $CL Shares Acquired by Wedmont Private Capital

Wedmont Private Capital boosted its position in Colgate-Palmolive Company (NYSE:CL) by 70.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 16,440 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 6,813 shares during the period. Wedmont Private Capital’s holdings in Colgate-Palmolive were worth $1,267,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Pine Haven Investment Counsel Inc boosted its stake in Colgate-Palmolive by 2.8% during the fourth quarter. Pine Haven Investment Counsel Inc now owns 12,351 shares of the company’s stock valued at $976,000 after buying an additional 333 shares in the last quarter. Sarasin & Partners LLP raised its position in Colgate-Palmolive by 3.4% in the fourth quarter. Sarasin & Partners LLP now owns 4,347,768 shares of the company’s stock worth $343,561,000 after acquiring an additional 141,405 shares in the last quarter. American National Bank of Texas lifted its holdings in Colgate-Palmolive by 7.7% in the 4th quarter. American National Bank of Texas now owns 3,315 shares of the company’s stock valued at $262,000 after acquiring an additional 238 shares during the last quarter. Occidental Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive during the 4th quarter valued at about $231,000. Finally, Procyon Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 135.4% during the 4th quarter. Procyon Advisors LLC now owns 40,444 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,196,000 after purchasing an additional 23,260 shares in the last quarter. 80.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Colgate-Palmolive

In other Colgate-Palmolive news, CFO Stanley J. Sutula III sold 97,843 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $94.27, for a total transaction of $9,223,659.61. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 55,310 shares in the company, valued at $5,214,073.70. This trade represents a 63.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider John Hazlin sold 20,989 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $94.25, for a total value of $1,978,213.25. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 17,645 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,663,041.25. This represents a 54.33% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 184,683 shares of company stock valued at $17,486,693 over the last three months. 0.41% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Colgate-Palmolive Stock Performance

Shares of CL opened at $85.14 on Monday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $91.01 and a two-hundred day moving average of $83.36. The stock has a market cap of $68.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.49, a PEG ratio of 3.81 and a beta of 0.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 18.82, a current ratio of 0.83 and a quick ratio of 0.54. Colgate-Palmolive Company has a one year low of $74.54 and a one year high of $99.33.

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The company reported $0.95 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.91 by $0.04. Colgate-Palmolive had a net margin of 10.45% and a return on equity of 353.72%. The business had revenue of $5.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.13 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.91 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that Colgate-Palmolive Company will post 3.75 earnings per share for the current year.

Colgate-Palmolive Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 20th will be issued a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 20th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. This is a positive change from Colgate-Palmolive’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. Colgate-Palmolive’s dividend payout ratio is presently 79.39%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently commented on CL. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $100.00 target price on shares of Colgate-Palmolive in a report on Friday, February 20th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Colgate-Palmolive from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday. UBS Group upped their price target on Colgate-Palmolive from $90.00 to $93.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Evercore increased their price objective on Colgate-Palmolive from $94.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Citigroup raised their price objective on Colgate-Palmolive from $95.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $94.75.

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.