Colgate-Palmolive Company $CL Shares Purchased by Ascent Group LLC

Ascent Group LLC lifted its holdings in Colgate-Palmolive Company (NYSE:CL) by 19.4% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 36,321 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,906 shares during the quarter. Ascent Group LLC’s holdings in Colgate-Palmolive were worth $2,870,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. ProShare Advisors LLC grew its position 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 during the period. Providence Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive during the 3rd quarter worth about $5,373,000. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. lifted its stake 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 in the last quarter. Citigroup Inc. lifted its stake in 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. boosted its holdings in Colgate-Palmolive by 248.5% in the 3rd quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 87,410 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,909,000 after buying an additional 62,327 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.41% of the company’s stock.

Colgate-Palmolive Stock Performance

NYSE CL opened at $85.04 on Monday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $91.10 and its two-hundred day moving average is $83.47. The firm has a market capitalization of $68.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.91 and a beta of 0.34. 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 Company has a fifty-two week low of $74.54 and a fifty-two week high of $99.33.

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) last issued its earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The company reported $0.95 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.91 by $0.04. Colgate-Palmolive had a return on equity of 353.72% and a net margin of 10.45%.The business 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 company earned $0.91 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that Colgate-Palmolive Company will post 3.75 earnings per share for the current year.

Colgate-Palmolive Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors of record on Monday, April 20th will be given a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 20th. This is an increase from Colgate-Palmolive’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. Colgate-Palmolive’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 79.39%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have commented on CL shares. UBS Group boosted their price objective on Colgate-Palmolive from $90.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Colgate-Palmolive from $87.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Wall Street Zen cut Colgate-Palmolive from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, March 29th. Barclays increased their price objective on Colgate-Palmolive from $83.00 to $88.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, Argus restated a “hold” rating on shares of Colgate-Palmolive in a report on Thursday, December 11th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $95.19.

Insider Activity

In other Colgate-Palmolive news, insider Sally Massey sold 15,851 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.03, for a total value of $1,506,320.53. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 13,751 shares in the company, valued at $1,306,757.53. The trade was a 53.55% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, COO Panagiotis Tsourapas sold 35,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 11th. The shares were 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 approximately $985,363.15. This trade represents a 77.07% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 184,683 shares of company stock valued at $17,486,693 over the last three months. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.