Eukles Asset Management Sells 208 Shares of Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL)

Eukles Asset Management reduced its stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) by 0.9% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 22,374 shares of the company’s stock after selling 208 shares during the quarter. Eukles Asset Management’s holdings in Colgate-Palmolive were worth $1,783,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new position in Colgate-Palmolive in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Avion Wealth lifted its holdings in Colgate-Palmolive by 78.1% in the fourth quarter. Avion Wealth now owns 399 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 175 shares during the period. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in Colgate-Palmolive in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Quarry LP lifted its holdings in Colgate-Palmolive by 48.2% in the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 446 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 145 shares during the period. Finally, Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in Colgate-Palmolive by 142.0% in the third quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 496 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 291 shares during the period. 80.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CL has been the topic of several analyst reports. Evercore ISI increased their target price on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $90.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, April 8th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Colgate-Palmolive from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 20th. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $82.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, April 12th. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $85.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, January 29th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Colgate-Palmolive has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $89.50.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director C Martin Harris sold 2,760 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $84.50, for a total transaction of $233,220.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 19,272 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,628,484. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, Director C Martin Harris sold 2,760 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $84.50, for a total transaction of $233,220.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 19,272 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,628,484. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Noel R. Wallace sold 50,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $83.15, for a total transaction of $4,157,500.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 274,179 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $22,797,983.85. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 232,371 shares of company stock worth $19,505,099 in the last quarter. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Colgate-Palmolive Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE CL traded up $0.72 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $86.93. 2,529,825 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,523,985. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $87.02 and its 200-day simple moving average is $80.67. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.59. The stock has a market capitalization of $71.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.19, a P/E/G ratio of 3.26 and a beta of 0.42. Colgate-Palmolive has a twelve month low of $67.62 and a twelve month high of $90.37.

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

Colgate-Palmolive Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 22nd will be paid a $0.50 dividend. This is a boost from Colgate-Palmolive’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 19th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.30%. Colgate-Palmolive’s payout ratio is 69.06%.

About Colgate-Palmolive

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.