Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) Price Target Increased to $92.00 by Analysts at Wells Fargo & Company

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) had its price objective upped by Wells Fargo & Company from $90.00 to $92.00 in a research report released on Monday, Benzinga reports. They currently have an equal weight rating on the stock.

CL has been the topic of a number of other reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Colgate-Palmolive from $88.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research report on Thursday, January 18th. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on shares of Colgate-Palmolive in a report on Friday, March 1st. They issued a buy rating and a $93.00 price target on the stock. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $82.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a report on Friday, April 12th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $94.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Monday. Finally, Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $91.38.

Colgate-Palmolive Stock Performance

CL opened at $90.49 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 0.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.59. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $87.80 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $81.77. The firm has a market capitalization of $74.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 0.42. Colgate-Palmolive has a 12-month low of $67.62 and a 12-month high of $92.25.

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) last announced its earnings results on Friday, April 26th. The company reported $0.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.82 by $0.04. Colgate-Palmolive had a net margin of 13.22% and a return on equity of 485.40%. The business had revenue of $5.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.96 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.73 earnings per share. Colgate-Palmolive’s revenue was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that Colgate-Palmolive will post 3.5 earnings per share for the current year.

Colgate-Palmolive Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Investors of record on Monday, April 22nd will be issued a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 19th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.21%. This is a positive change from Colgate-Palmolive’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. Colgate-Palmolive’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 63.29%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Jennifer Daniels sold 61,633 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $83.93, for a total transaction of $5,172,857.69. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 57,948 shares in the company, valued at $4,863,575.64. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, insider Jennifer Daniels sold 61,633 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $83.93, for a total transaction of $5,172,857.69. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 57,948 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,863,575.64. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director C Martin Harris sold 2,760 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $84.50, for a total transaction of $233,220.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 19,272 shares in the company, valued at $1,628,484. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 232,371 shares of company stock valued at $19,505,099. 0.37% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Colgate-Palmolive

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Legacy Trust raised its position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 1.7% in the 1st quarter. Legacy Trust now owns 6,925 shares of the company’s stock valued at $624,000 after acquiring an additional 116 shares during the period. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC increased its stake in Colgate-Palmolive by 1.5% in the first quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC now owns 7,829 shares of the company’s stock valued at $705,000 after purchasing an additional 118 shares in the last quarter. Regal Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Colgate-Palmolive by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Regal Investment Advisors LLC now owns 7,574 shares of the company’s stock worth $604,000 after purchasing an additional 121 shares during the period. M&G Investment Management Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. M&G Investment Management Ltd. now owns 49,269 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,942,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 3.9% in the 4th quarter. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC now owns 3,404 shares of the company’s stock valued at $271,000 after buying an additional 127 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.41% of the company’s stock.

Colgate-Palmolive Company Profile

Colgate-Palmolive Company, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells consumer products in the United States and internationally. It operates through two segments: Oral, Personal and Home Care; and Pet Nutrition. The Oral, Personal and Home Care segment offers toothpaste, toothbrushes, mouthwash, bar and liquid hand soaps, shower gels, shampoos, conditioners, deodorants and antiperspirants, skin health products, dishwashing detergents, fabric conditioners, household cleaners, and other related items.