Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. Buys 5,591 Shares of Colgate-Palmolive Company $CL

Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. lifted its stake in Colgate-Palmolive Company (NYSE:CL) by 5.7% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 103,611 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,591 shares during the quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd.’s holdings in Colgate-Palmolive were worth $9,499,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake 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 lifted its stake in Colgate-Palmolive by 76.3% in the first 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 last quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. boosted its position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 2.0% during the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 12,494 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,136,000 after buying an additional 245 shares during the period. Nebula Research & Development LLC grew its stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 165.5% during the second quarter. Nebula Research & Development LLC now owns 10,326 shares of the company’s stock valued at $939,000 after buying an additional 6,437 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sei Investments Co. raised its holdings in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 21.7% in the second quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 657,093 shares of the company’s stock worth $59,732,000 after buying an additional 116,968 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.41% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target on Colgate-Palmolive from $102.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Colgate-Palmolive in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Colgate-Palmolive in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Colgate-Palmolive in a research report on Thursday, August 13th. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $99.00.

Colgate-Palmolive Price Performance

Shares of NYSE CL opened at $91.02 on Monday. 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 market cap of $72.56 billion, a PE ratio of 36.12, a P/E/G ratio of 4.26 and a beta of 0.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 13.82, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 1.03. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $91.89 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $90.13.

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 31st. The company reported $0.99 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.95 by $0.04. Colgate-Palmolive had a net margin of 9.68% and a return on equity of 464.63%. The firm had revenue of $5.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.36 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.92 EPS. Colgate-Palmolive’s revenue was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that Colgate-Palmolive Company will post 3.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Colgate-Palmolive Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 14th. Investors of record on Monday, July 20th were issued a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, July 20th. Colgate-Palmolive’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 84.13%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Colgate-Palmolive

In other Colgate-Palmolive news, Director John T. Cahill sold 4,170 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $93.37, for a total transaction of $389,352.90. Following the sale, the director directly owned 28,373 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,649,187.01. This trade represents a 12.81% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Noel R. Wallace sold 161,021 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.92, for a total value of $14,801,050.32. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 362,231 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $33,296,273.52. This trade represents a 30.77% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. 0.43% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.