Colgate-Palmolive Company (NYSE:CL) Receives $94.38 Average Target Price from Brokerages

Shares of Colgate-Palmolive Company (NYSE:CL) have earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the seventeen analysts that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $94.3750.

A number of research analysts recently commented on the stock. Evercore increased their price target on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $94.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Barclays lifted their target price on Colgate-Palmolive from $83.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Colgate-Palmolive from $93.00 to $97.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $83.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price 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.

Colgate-Palmolive Stock Down 0.1%

NYSE CL opened at $95.52 on Monday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $84.94 and a 200-day moving average price of $82.11. Colgate-Palmolive has a one year low of $74.54 and a one year high of $100.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.90, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a current ratio of 0.42. The company has a market capitalization of $77.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.46, a P/E/G ratio of 4.31 and a beta of 0.29.

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The company reported $0.95 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.91 by $0.04. Colgate-Palmolive had a net margin of 10.45% and a return on equity of 353.72%. The company had revenue of $5.23 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.13 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.91 earnings per share. Colgate-Palmolive’s revenue was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that Colgate-Palmolive will post 3.75 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Colgate-Palmolive Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Investors of record on Wednesday, January 21st were given a $0.52 dividend. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, January 21st. Colgate-Palmolive’s dividend payout ratio is 79.39%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Stanley J. Sutula III sold 97,843 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $94.27, for a total transaction of $9,223,659.61. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 55,310 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,214,073.70. This represents a 63.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider John Hazlin sold 20,989 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $94.25, for a total value of $1,978,213.25. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 17,645 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,663,041.25. This represents a 54.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 184,683 shares of company stock worth $17,486,693 over the last three months. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Colgate-Palmolive

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of CL. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC boosted its position in Colgate-Palmolive by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC now owns 15,877 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,255,000 after acquiring an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. Clear Harbor Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Colgate-Palmolive by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Clear Harbor Asset Management LLC now owns 4,503 shares of the company’s stock valued at $356,000 after purchasing an additional 113 shares in the last quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in Colgate-Palmolive by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 15,506 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,225,000 after purchasing an additional 114 shares during the last quarter. Sunpointe LLC lifted its position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 4.0% during the fourth quarter. Sunpointe LLC now owns 3,056 shares of the company’s stock valued at $241,000 after buying an additional 117 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tiemann Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 2.1% in the 2nd quarter. Tiemann Investment Advisors LLC now owns 6,083 shares of the company’s stock valued at $553,000 after buying an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. 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.