Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) Rating Lowered to “Hold” at Wall Street Zen

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) was downgraded by analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued on Sunday.

Several other analysts also recently commented on the stock. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $90.00 to $93.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $100.00 price target on shares of Colgate-Palmolive in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Colgate-Palmolive from $87.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Evercore boosted their price objective on Colgate-Palmolive from $94.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective 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. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $94.75.

Colgate-Palmolive Trading Up 0.1%

Colgate-Palmolive stock opened at $84.25 on Friday. Colgate-Palmolive has a 12-month low of $74.54 and a 12-month high of $99.33. The firm has a market capitalization of $67.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.16, a P/E/G ratio of 3.78 and a beta of 0.28. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $91.11 and a 200 day moving average of $83.37. The company has a current ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 18.82.

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) last issued its quarterly 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. The business had revenue of $5.23 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.13 billion. Colgate-Palmolive had a net margin of 10.45% and a return on equity of 353.72%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.91 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that Colgate-Palmolive will post 3.75 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Colgate-Palmolive

In other news, insider John Hazlin sold 20,989 shares of Colgate-Palmolive stock in a transaction dated 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 approximately $1,663,041.25. The trade was a 54.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, COO Panagiotis Tsourapas sold 15,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 owned 10,415 shares in the company, valued at $1,018,691.15. This represents a 59.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 quarter. 0.34% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Colgate-Palmolive

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive during the 4th quarter worth approximately $861,670,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its holdings in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 8,040.1% in the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 4,655,987 shares of the company’s stock valued at $380,666,000 after purchasing an additional 4,598,789 shares in the last quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. bought a new stake in Colgate-Palmolive in the fourth quarter worth $236,682,000. Deutsche Bank AG raised its stake in Colgate-Palmolive by 33.9% during the fourth quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 10,845,857 shares of the company’s stock valued at $857,040,000 after purchasing an additional 2,746,920 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its stake in Colgate-Palmolive by 3,052.2% during the third quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 2,697,047 shares of the company’s stock valued at $215,602,000 after purchasing an additional 2,611,485 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.41% of the company’s stock.

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.