Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) Raised to Buy at Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) was upgraded by Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued on Monday, Marketbeat reports. The brokerage currently has a $98.00 target price on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft’s target price indicates a potential upside of 16.32% from the company’s current price.

CL has been the subject of several other research reports. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $87.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Wall Street Zen lowered Colgate-Palmolive from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $93.00 price target on Colgate-Palmolive in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Colgate-Palmolive from $86.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Sunday, February 1st. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Colgate-Palmolive in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $95.25.

Colgate-Palmolive Trading Down 0.0%

NYSE:CL opened at $84.25 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $67.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.16, a P/E/G ratio of 3.78 and a beta of 0.28. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $91.11 and its 200 day moving average price is $83.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 18.82, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a current ratio of 0.83. Colgate-Palmolive has a 52 week low of $74.54 and a 52 week high of $99.33.

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) last posted its 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 firm had revenue of $5.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.13 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.91 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts forecast that Colgate-Palmolive will post 3.75 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, COO Panagiotis Tsourapas sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $97.81, for a total value of $1,467,150.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 10,415 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,018,691.15. This represents a 59.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Sally Massey sold 15,851 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.03, for a total transaction of $1,506,320.53. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 13,751 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,306,757.53. The trade was a 53.55% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 184,683 shares of company stock worth $17,486,693 in the last 90 days. 0.41% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Colgate-Palmolive

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. ProShare Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 11.0% in the third quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 2,047,542 shares of the company’s stock valued at $163,681,000 after purchasing an additional 202,379 shares in the last quarter. Providence Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Colgate-Palmolive during the third quarter worth $5,373,000. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in Colgate-Palmolive by 3.9% in the 3rd quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 422,292 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,758,000 after buying an additional 16,017 shares during the period. Citigroup Inc. raised its stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 43.7% in the 3rd quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 1,346,590 shares of the company’s stock valued at $107,646,000 after buying an additional 409,710 shares in the last quarter. Finally, TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. raised its stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 248.5% in the 3rd quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 87,410 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,909,000 after buying an additional 62,327 shares in the last quarter. 80.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.