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

Colgate-Palmolive Company (NYSE:CL) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the eighteen analysts that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $95.8750.

Several analysts have recently weighed in on CL shares. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $85.00 to $91.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $98.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $95.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Bank of America dropped their price target on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $105.00 to $102.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $102.00 price target on shares of Colgate-Palmolive in a research note on Monday, May 4th.

Colgate-Palmolive Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of NYSE CL opened at $90.26 on Wednesday. Colgate-Palmolive has a 12-month low of $74.54 and a 12-month high of $99.33. The stock has a market cap of $72.22 billion, a PE ratio of 35.12, a P/E/G ratio of 4.68 and a beta of 0.33. The company has a current ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 16.33. The company has a 50-day moving average of $86.29 and a 200 day moving average of $85.69.

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 1st. The company reported $0.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.94 by $0.03. Colgate-Palmolive had a net margin of 10.04% and a return on equity of 386.76%. The company had revenue of $5.32 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.22 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.91 EPS. Colgate-Palmolive’s revenue was up 8.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Colgate-Palmolive will post 3.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Colgate-Palmolive Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 20th were paid a $0.53 dividend. This is a positive change from Colgate-Palmolive’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, April 20th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. Colgate-Palmolive’s dividend payout ratio is currently 82.49%.

Institutional Trading of Colgate-Palmolive

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 4.4% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 10,578 shares of the company’s stock worth $962,000 after purchasing an additional 450 shares during the period. Woodline Partners LP boosted its position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 76.3% during the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 46,361 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,344,000 after purchasing an additional 20,062 shares during the period. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. boosted its position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 2.0% during the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 12,494 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,136,000 after purchasing an additional 245 shares during the period. Nebula Research & Development LLC boosted its position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 165.5% during the 2nd quarter. Nebula Research & Development LLC now owns 10,326 shares of the company’s stock worth $939,000 after purchasing an additional 6,437 shares during the period. Finally, Sei Investments Co. boosted its position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 21.7% during the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 657,093 shares of the company’s stock worth $59,732,000 after purchasing an additional 116,968 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.41% of the company’s stock.

Colgate-Palmolive Company Profile

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.