Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) Holdings Increased by Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc.

Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) by 6.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 184,902 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 10,589 shares during the period. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Colgate-Palmolive were worth $14,739,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in CL. NBC Securities Inc. bought a new stake in Colgate-Palmolive in the third quarter worth about $368,000. Wrapmanager Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $205,000. Versor Investments LP lifted its stake in Colgate-Palmolive by 132.5% during the third quarter. Versor Investments LP now owns 17,948 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,276,000 after purchasing an additional 10,228 shares during the last quarter. PFG Investments LLC boosted its holdings in Colgate-Palmolive by 2.4% during the third quarter. PFG Investments LLC now owns 13,865 shares of the company’s stock worth $986,000 after buying an additional 324 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Colgate-Palmolive by 26.5% in the third quarter. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,960 shares of the company’s stock worth $282,000 after buying an additional 829 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.41% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Colgate-Palmolive

In other Colgate-Palmolive news, insider Sally Massey sold 12,226 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $94.06, for a total value of $1,149,977.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 13,924 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,309,691.44. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In other Colgate-Palmolive news, insider John W. Kooyman sold 3,497 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $93.47, for a total value of $326,864.59. Following the sale, the insider now owns 3,181 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $297,328.07. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider Sally Massey sold 12,226 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $94.06, for a total transaction of $1,149,977.56. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 13,924 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,309,691.44. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Colgate-Palmolive Stock Performance

CL opened at $93.30 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 13.21, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a current ratio of 1.06. The company has a market cap of $76.55 billion, a PE ratio of 29.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.44 and a beta of 0.40. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $90.38 and a 200-day moving average of $84.43. Colgate-Palmolive has a 52-week low of $67.62 and a 52-week high of $95.59.

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) last announced its earnings results on Friday, April 26th. The company reported $0.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.82 by $0.04. Colgate-Palmolive had a return on equity of 485.40% and a net margin of 13.22%. The firm had revenue of $5.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.96 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.73 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Colgate-Palmolive will post 3.53 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Colgate-Palmolive Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 22nd were given a $0.50 dividend. This is an increase from Colgate-Palmolive’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.14%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, April 19th. Colgate-Palmolive’s payout ratio is currently 63.29%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on CL. Citigroup boosted their target price on Colgate-Palmolive from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. 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 research note on Monday, January 29th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $94.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 29th. Raymond James upgraded Colgate-Palmolive from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $91.00 target price for the company in a report on Monday, January 29th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on Colgate-Palmolive in a research report on Friday, March 1st. They set a “buy” rating and a $93.00 price target on the stock. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Colgate-Palmolive currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $92.35.

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.