Analysts Set Colgate-Palmolive Company (NYSE:CL) PT at $94.75

Colgate-Palmolive Company (NYSE:CL) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the seventeen analysts that are 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 target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $94.75.

CL has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $95.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Colgate-Palmolive in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $90.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $85.00 to $91.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Bank of America lifted their target price on Colgate-Palmolive from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Colgate-Palmolive news, insider John Hazlin sold 20,989 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 trade represents a 54.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, COO Panagiotis Tsourapas sold 35,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $94.61, for a total value of $3,311,350.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 10,415 shares in the company, valued at $985,363.15. The trade was a 77.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 184,683 shares of company stock valued at $17,486,693 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.41% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Colgate-Palmolive

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of CL. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Colgate-Palmolive by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 83,947,987 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,633,570,000 after purchasing an additional 1,026,985 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 22,103,901 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,754,657,000 after buying an additional 304,426 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley raised its holdings in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 19,246,217 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,520,836,000 after buying an additional 323,367 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive during the fourth quarter worth approximately $861,670,000. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG grew its holdings in Colgate-Palmolive by 33.9% in the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 10,845,857 shares of the company’s stock worth $857,040,000 after buying an additional 2,746,920 shares in the last quarter. 80.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Colgate-Palmolive Price Performance

Shares of NYSE CL opened at $89.90 on Friday. 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 company has a market capitalization of $72.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.04 and a beta of 0.28. Colgate-Palmolive has a twelve month low of $74.54 and a twelve month high of $99.33. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $90.64 and a 200-day simple moving average of $83.31.

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 30th. The company reported $0.95 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.91 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $5.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.13 billion. Colgate-Palmolive had a return on equity of 353.72% and a net margin of 10.45%.The firm’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. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Colgate-Palmolive will post 3.75 earnings per share for the current year.

Colgate-Palmolive Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors of record on Monday, April 20th will be given a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 20th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. This is an increase from Colgate-Palmolive’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. Colgate-Palmolive’s payout ratio is presently 79.39%.

About Colgate-Palmolive

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.