Auctus Advisors LLC Invests $790,000 in Colgate-Palmolive Company $CL

Auctus Advisors LLC bought a new position in Colgate-Palmolive Company (NYSE:CL) during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm bought 10,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $790,000. Colgate-Palmolive accounts for approximately 0.7% of Auctus Advisors LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 7th biggest position.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. ProShare Advisors LLC raised its position in Colgate-Palmolive by 11.0% in the 3rd quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 2,047,542 shares of the company’s stock valued at $163,681,000 after buying an additional 202,379 shares during the last quarter. Providence Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Colgate-Palmolive during the 3rd quarter worth $5,373,000. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 3.9% in the 3rd quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 422,292 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,758,000 after acquiring an additional 16,017 shares in the last quarter. Citigroup Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 43.7% in the third quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 1,346,590 shares of the company’s stock valued at $107,646,000 after purchasing an additional 409,710 shares during the last quarter. Finally, TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 248.5% in the third quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 87,410 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,909,000 after purchasing an additional 62,327 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.41% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $100.00 price target on shares of Colgate-Palmolive in a report on Friday, February 20th. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $95.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $85.00 to $91.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Evercore boosted 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. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Colgate-Palmolive from $86.00 to $94.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Sunday, February 1st. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Colgate-Palmolive has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $94.75.

Colgate-Palmolive Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of CL stock opened at $84.25 on Friday. 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 firm has a market cap of $67.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.16, a PEG ratio of 3.78 and a beta of 0.28. The company has a 50 day moving average of $91.11 and a 200-day moving average of $83.37. Colgate-Palmolive Company has a 12-month low of $74.54 and a 12-month high of $99.33.

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 30th. The company reported $0.95 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.13 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.91 earnings per share. Colgate-Palmolive’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 20th will be given a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 20th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.5%. This is a boost from Colgate-Palmolive’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. Colgate-Palmolive’s payout ratio is currently 80.92%.

Insider Transactions at Colgate-Palmolive

In related news, COO Panagiotis Tsourapas sold 35,000 shares of Colgate-Palmolive stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $94.61, for a total value of $3,311,350.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer 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. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Stanley J. Sutula III sold 97,843 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $94.27, for a total value of $9,223,659.61. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 55,310 shares in the company, valued at $5,214,073.70. This represents a 63.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 184,683 shares of company stock worth $17,486,693 over the last 90 days. 0.34% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.