United Asset Strategies Inc. Increases Stock Holdings in Colgate-Palmolive Company $CL

United Asset Strategies Inc. boosted its stake in Colgate-Palmolive Company (NYSE:CL) by 6.5% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 126,341 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 7,659 shares during the quarter. United Asset Strategies Inc.’s holdings in Colgate-Palmolive were worth $10,768,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Teacher Retirement System of Texas increased its position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 35.3% during the fourth quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 469,624 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,110,000 after purchasing an additional 122,634 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in Colgate-Palmolive by 114.2% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 23,329 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,843,000 after purchasing an additional 12,437 shares in the last quarter. Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC lifted its holdings in Colgate-Palmolive by 217.0% in the 3rd quarter. Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC now owns 40,605 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,246,000 after purchasing an additional 27,796 shares in the last quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Colgate-Palmolive during the 4th quarter worth $1,135,000. Finally, Flputnam Investment Management Co. boosted its stake in Colgate-Palmolive by 7.4% during the 4th quarter. Flputnam Investment Management Co. now owns 200,972 shares of the company’s stock worth $15,881,000 after purchasing an additional 13,804 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.41% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on CL shares. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $100.00 to $92.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $79.00 to $80.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Colgate-Palmolive from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Colgate-Palmolive in a report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Bank of America dropped their price target on Colgate-Palmolive from $105.00 to $102.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $95.88.

Colgate-Palmolive Trading Up 1.9%

NYSE:CL traded up $1.77 on Tuesday, hitting $95.16. The stock had a trading volume of 1,379,745 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,191,860. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 16.33. The stock has a market cap of $76.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.98, a PEG ratio of 5.02 and a beta of 0.33. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $89.07 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $87.67. Colgate-Palmolive Company has a 1-year low of $74.54 and a 1-year high of $99.33.

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 1st. The company reported $0.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.94 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $5.32 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.22 billion. Colgate-Palmolive had a net margin of 10.04% and a return on equity of 386.76%. The business’s revenue was up 8.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.91 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Colgate-Palmolive Company will post 3.81 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Colgate-Palmolive Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 14th. Investors of record on Monday, July 20th will be given a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 20th. Colgate-Palmolive’s dividend payout ratio is presently 82.49%.

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.