Tufton Capital Management Sells 2,063 Shares of Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL)

Tufton Capital Management lessened its stake in Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) by 4.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 44,200 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,063 shares during the period. Tufton Capital Management’s holdings in Colgate-Palmolive were worth $3,523,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vest Financial LLC grew its position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 25.1% in the 4th quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 370,071 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,498,000 after buying an additional 74,337 shares during the last quarter. Central Bank & Trust Co. boosted its position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 22.1% during the 4th quarter. Central Bank & Trust Co. now owns 1,383 shares of the company’s stock valued at $110,000 after purchasing an additional 250 shares in the last quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC boosted its position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 9.2% during the 4th quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 10,808 shares of the company’s stock valued at $864,000 after purchasing an additional 910 shares in the last quarter. Sarasin & Partners LLP boosted its position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Sarasin & Partners LLP now owns 4,053,634 shares of the company’s stock valued at $323,115,000 after purchasing an additional 49,980 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC now owns 7,170 shares of the company’s stock valued at $571,000 after purchasing an additional 172 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.41% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Colgate-Palmolive

In other news, insider Jennifer Daniels sold 3,538 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $84.67, for a total value of $299,562.46. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 59,698 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,054,629.66. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, CEO Noel R. Wallace sold 29,772 shares of Colgate-Palmolive stock in a transaction on Friday, February 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $84.06, for a total transaction of $2,502,634.32. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 301,343 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $25,330,892.58. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Jennifer Daniels sold 3,538 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $84.67, for a total value of $299,562.46. Following the sale, the insider now owns 59,698 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,054,629.66. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 232,371 shares of company stock valued at $19,505,099 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Colgate-Palmolive Stock Performance

NYSE CL traded down $0.19 on Thursday, hitting $86.56. 1,789,544 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,509,390. The business’s fifty day moving average is $86.97 and its two-hundred day moving average is $80.63. Colgate-Palmolive has a 12 month low of $67.62 and a 12 month high of $90.37. The firm has a market capitalization of $71.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.21, a PEG ratio of 3.24 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.59, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a current ratio of 1.11.

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 26th. The company reported $0.87 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.85 by $0.02. Colgate-Palmolive had a return on equity of 509.75% and a net margin of 11.82%. The firm had revenue of $4.95 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.89 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.77 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Colgate-Palmolive will post 3.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Colgate-Palmolive Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 22nd will be issued a $0.50 dividend. This is a positive change from Colgate-Palmolive’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.31%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 19th. Colgate-Palmolive’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 69.06%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Colgate-Palmolive from $85.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, January 29th. Citigroup increased their price target on Colgate-Palmolive from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on Colgate-Palmolive from $89.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Colgate-Palmolive from $80.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, January 29th. Finally, TheStreet upgraded Colgate-Palmolive from a “c+” rating to a “b+” rating in a report on Friday, January 26th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $89.50.

Colgate-Palmolive Company Profile

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.