First National Corp MA ADV Trims Position in Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL)

First National Corp MA ADV trimmed its holdings in Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) by 5.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 4,534 shares of the company’s stock after selling 250 shares during the period. First National Corp MA ADV’s holdings in Colgate-Palmolive were worth $361,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in CL. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 90,253.2% during the fourth quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 15,974,451 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,258,627,000 after acquiring an additional 15,956,771 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Colgate-Palmolive during the fourth quarter worth about $644,715,000. Renaissance Technologies LLC grew its position in Colgate-Palmolive by 151.6% during the first quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 5,688,786 shares of the company’s stock worth $431,381,000 after buying an additional 3,427,400 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley grew its position in Colgate-Palmolive by 41.7% during the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 11,370,549 shares of the company’s stock worth $895,886,000 after buying an additional 3,345,297 shares during the period. Finally, Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec grew its position in Colgate-Palmolive by 1,915.2% during the first quarter. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec now owns 1,793,287 shares of the company’s stock worth $135,985,000 after buying an additional 1,704,300 shares during the period. 80.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Colgate-Palmolive Stock Performance

NYSE:CL opened at $89.95 on Thursday. 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 company has a market cap of $74.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.36, a P/E/G ratio of 3.38 and a beta of 0.42. Colgate-Palmolive has a fifty-two week low of $67.62 and a fifty-two week high of $90.27. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $85.34 and its two-hundred day moving average is $78.98.

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

Colgate-Palmolive Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 22nd will be paid a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.22%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 19th. This is an increase from Colgate-Palmolive’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. Colgate-Palmolive’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 69.06%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Noel R. Wallace sold 50,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $83.15, for a total value of $4,157,500.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 274,179 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $22,797,983.85. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, CEO Noel R. Wallace sold 50,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $83.15, for a total transaction of $4,157,500.00. Following the completion of 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Noel R. Wallace sold 29,772 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $84.06, for a total transaction of $2,502,634.32. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 301,343 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $25,330,892.58. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 232,371 shares of company stock valued at $19,505,099. Company insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

CL has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $85.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 29th. Raymond James upgraded shares of Colgate-Palmolive from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $91.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 29th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Colgate-Palmolive from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 20th. TheStreet upgraded shares of Colgate-Palmolive from a “c+” rating to a “b+” rating in a research report on Friday, January 26th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on shares of Colgate-Palmolive in a research report on Friday, March 1st. They issued a “buy” rating and a $93.00 price target on the stock. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $87.31.

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.