Colgate-Palmolive Company $CL Shares Purchased by Rockland Trust Co.

Rockland Trust Co. boosted its holdings in shares of Colgate-Palmolive Company (NYSE:CL) by 5.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 179,788 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 9,833 shares during the period. Rockland Trust Co.’s holdings in Colgate-Palmolive were worth $14,207,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of CL. Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its stake in Colgate-Palmolive by 3,052.2% during the 3rd quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 2,697,047 shares of the company’s stock valued at $215,602,000 after acquiring an additional 2,611,485 shares during the last quarter. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 46.7% during the third quarter. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. now owns 8,077,549 shares of the company’s stock worth $645,719,000 after purchasing an additional 2,572,796 shares during the period. Amundi grew its position in Colgate-Palmolive by 41.6% in the 3rd quarter. Amundi now owns 6,294,445 shares of the company’s stock valued at $487,505,000 after buying an additional 1,850,412 shares during the last quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP increased its stake in Colgate-Palmolive by 360.9% in the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 2,126,249 shares of the company’s stock valued at $169,972,000 after buying an additional 1,664,949 shares during the period. Finally, Balyasny Asset Management L.P. raised its position in Colgate-Palmolive by 50,879.7% during the 2nd quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 1,193,435 shares of the company’s stock worth $108,483,000 after buying an additional 1,191,094 shares during the last quarter. 80.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Colgate-Palmolive Trading Down 0.5%

Shares of CL stock opened at $85.31 on Wednesday. Colgate-Palmolive Company has a fifty-two week low of $74.54 and a fifty-two week high of $99.33. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 18.82. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $91.13 and a 200-day simple moving average of $83.40. The stock has a market cap of $68.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.56, a P/E/G ratio of 3.84 and a beta of 0.28.

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) last posted its earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The company reported $0.95 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 the consensus estimate of $5.13 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.91 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that Colgate-Palmolive Company will post 3.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Colgate-Palmolive Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 20th will be issued a dividend of $0.53 per share. This is a boost from Colgate-Palmolive’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 20th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. Colgate-Palmolive’s payout ratio is currently 80.92%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider John Hazlin sold 20,989 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $94.25, for a total transaction of $1,978,213.25. Following the transaction, the insider owned 17,645 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,663,041.25. This represents a 54.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, COO Panagiotis Tsourapas sold 35,000 shares of Colgate-Palmolive stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $94.61, for a total transaction of $3,311,350.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 10,415 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $985,363.15. The trade was a 77.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders sold 184,683 shares of company stock worth $17,486,693. 0.41% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Colgate-Palmolive in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Evercore increased their target price on Colgate-Palmolive from $94.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. UBS Group upped their price objective on Colgate-Palmolive from $90.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $93.00 target price on Colgate-Palmolive in a report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Colgate-Palmolive from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $90.00 to $98.00 in a research note on Monday. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $95.19.

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.