Russell Investments Group Ltd. Sells 220,791 Shares of Colgate-Palmolive Company $CL

Russell Investments Group Ltd. decreased its stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive Company (NYSE:CL) by 18.0% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 1,003,587 shares of the company’s stock after selling 220,791 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd.’s holdings in Colgate-Palmolive were worth $80,313,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of CL. Tiemann Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Colgate-Palmolive by 2.1% during the 2nd quarter. Tiemann Investment Advisors LLC now owns 6,083 shares of the company’s stock valued at $553,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. S.A. Mason LLC grew its stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 3.9% in the 3rd quarter. S.A. Mason LLC now owns 3,499 shares of the company’s stock worth $280,000 after acquiring an additional 130 shares in the last quarter. Security National Bank of Sioux City Iowa IA grew its stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. Security National Bank of Sioux City Iowa IA now owns 16,241 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,298,000 after acquiring an additional 130 shares in the last quarter. Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 4.5% in the third quarter. Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,015 shares of the company’s stock valued at $241,000 after purchasing an additional 130 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cordatus Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 0.6% during the second quarter. Cordatus Wealth Management LLC now owns 23,036 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,094,000 after purchasing an additional 134 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.41% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have issued reports on CL. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $85.00 to $91.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $83.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their target price on Colgate-Palmolive from $83.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Colgate-Palmolive from $86.00 to $94.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Sunday, February 1st. Finally, Evercore lifted their price target on Colgate-Palmolive from $94.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $94.75.

Insider Transactions at Colgate-Palmolive

In other news, insider Sally Massey sold 15,851 shares of Colgate-Palmolive stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.03, for a total value of $1,506,320.53. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 13,751 shares in the company, valued at $1,306,757.53. This trade represents a 53.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, COO Panagiotis Tsourapas sold 15,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $97.81, for a total transaction of $1,467,150.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer owned 10,415 shares in the company, valued at $1,018,691.15. The trade was a 59.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 184,683 shares of company stock valued at $17,486,693. 0.41% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Colgate-Palmolive Trading Down 0.7%

NYSE:CL opened at $92.90 on Tuesday. Colgate-Palmolive Company has a 12 month low of $74.54 and a 12 month high of $100.18. The company has a current ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 18.82. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $89.24 and its 200 day moving average is $83.08. The stock has a market capitalization of $74.88 billion, a PE ratio of 35.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.22 and a beta of 0.28.

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) last released its earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The company reported $0.95 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.91 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $5.23 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.13 billion. Colgate-Palmolive had a return on equity of 353.72% and a net margin of 10.45%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.91 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that Colgate-Palmolive Company will post 3.75 earnings per share for the current year.

Colgate-Palmolive Announces Dividend

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

Colgate-Palmolive 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.