Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) Shares Sold by Nichols & Pratt Advisers LLP MA

Nichols & Pratt Advisers LLP MA trimmed its holdings in Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) by 23.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 9,830 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,070 shares during the period. Nichols & Pratt Advisers LLP MA’s holdings in Colgate-Palmolive were worth $784,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Avion Wealth raised its stake in Colgate-Palmolive by 78.1% during the fourth quarter. Avion Wealth now owns 399 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 175 shares during the period. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in Colgate-Palmolive during the fourth quarter worth approximately $34,000. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 142.0% in the 3rd quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 496 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 291 shares during the period. Finally, West Branch Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 24.0% in the 4th quarter. West Branch Capital LLC now owns 682 shares of the company’s stock valued at $54,000 after acquiring an additional 132 shares during the period. 80.41% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have commented on CL. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. Bank of America upped their target price on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, April 29th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $85.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 29th. Raymond James raised shares of Colgate-Palmolive from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $91.00 target price for the company in a research note on Monday, January 29th. Finally, Evercore ISI increased their target price on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $90.00 to $96.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, April 8th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $91.44.

Colgate-Palmolive Stock Performance

CL stock traded up $0.62 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $94.70. 961,275 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,652,581. Colgate-Palmolive has a 1-year low of $67.62 and a 1-year high of $94.79. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $88.93 and a 200-day simple moving average of $82.79. The company has a current ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 13.21. The stock has a market capitalization of $77.70 billion, a PE ratio of 29.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.43 and a beta of 0.40.

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 26th. The company reported $0.86 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.82 by $0.04. Colgate-Palmolive had a return on equity of 485.40% and a net margin of 13.22%. The firm had revenue of $5.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.96 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.73 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Colgate-Palmolive will post 3.52 earnings per share for the current year.

Colgate-Palmolive Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Investors of record on Monday, April 22nd will be paid a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 19th. This is an increase from Colgate-Palmolive’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.11%. Colgate-Palmolive’s dividend payout ratio is 63.29%.

Insider Activity at Colgate-Palmolive

In related news, insider John W. Kooyman sold 3,497 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $93.47, for a total value of $326,864.59. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 3,181 shares in the company, valued at $297,328.07. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other Colgate-Palmolive news, insider John W. Kooyman sold 3,497 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $93.47, for a total transaction of $326,864.59. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 3,181 shares in the company, valued at $297,328.07. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Noel R. Wallace sold 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief executive officer now owns 274,179 shares in the company, valued at $22,797,983.85. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 162,545 shares of company stock worth $13,663,710. Corporate insiders own 0.34% 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.