First National Bank & Trust Co. of Newtown Lowers Holdings in Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL)

First National Bank & Trust Co. of Newtown trimmed its position in Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) by 4.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,429 shares of the company’s stock after selling 200 shares during the quarter. First National Bank & Trust Co. of Newtown’s holdings in Colgate-Palmolive were worth $353,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in CL. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 90,253.2% during the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 15,974,451 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,258,627,000 after purchasing an additional 15,956,771 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive during the 4th quarter worth $644,715,000. Renaissance Technologies LLC lifted its stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 151.6% during the 1st quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 5,688,786 shares of the company’s stock worth $431,381,000 after purchasing an additional 3,427,400 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley increased its holdings in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 41.7% in the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 11,370,549 shares of the company’s stock valued at $895,886,000 after purchasing an additional 3,345,297 shares during the period. Finally, Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec grew its holdings in Colgate-Palmolive by 1,915.2% during the first quarter. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec now owns 1,793,287 shares of the company’s stock worth $135,985,000 after acquiring an additional 1,704,300 shares during the period. 80.41% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Noel R. Wallace sold 50,000 shares of Colgate-Palmolive stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $83.15, for a total transaction of $4,157,500.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 274,179 shares in the company, valued at $22,797,983.85. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other Colgate-Palmolive news, CEO Noel R. Wallace sold 50,000 shares of Colgate-Palmolive stock in a transaction on Monday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $83.15, for a total value of $4,157,500.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 274,179 shares in the company, valued at $22,797,983.85. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Gregory Malcolm sold 8,930 shares of Colgate-Palmolive stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.35, for a total value of $762,175.50. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 8,043 shares in the company, valued at approximately $686,470.05. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 232,371 shares of company stock worth $19,505,099. 0.34% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Colgate-Palmolive Price Performance

Shares of NYSE CL traded up $0.49 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $86.70. The stock had a trading volume of 2,112,654 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,519,123. Colgate-Palmolive has a 1 year low of $67.62 and a 1 year high of $90.37. The company has a market capitalization of $71.27 billion, a PE ratio of 31.19, a P/E/G ratio of 3.26 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.59. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $87.02 and a 200-day simple moving average of $80.67.

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 26th. The company reported $0.87 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.85 by $0.02. Colgate-Palmolive had a return on equity of 509.75% and a net margin of 11.82%. The firm had revenue of $4.95 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.89 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.77 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Colgate-Palmolive will post 3.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Colgate-Palmolive Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Investors of record on Monday, April 22nd will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This is an increase from Colgate-Palmolive’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 19th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.31%. Colgate-Palmolive’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 69.06%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently commented on CL. Citigroup raised their target price on Colgate-Palmolive from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Colgate-Palmolive from $88.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 18th. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on Colgate-Palmolive in a research report on Friday, March 1st. They set a “buy” rating and a $93.00 price target on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded Colgate-Palmolive from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 20th. Finally, Raymond James upgraded Colgate-Palmolive from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $91.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 29th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Colgate-Palmolive presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $89.50.

Colgate-Palmolive 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.