Avantax Advisory Services Inc. Sells 8,486 Shares of Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL)

Avantax Advisory Services Inc. lessened its stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) by 18.3% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 37,820 shares of the company’s stock after selling 8,486 shares during the period. Avantax Advisory Services Inc.’s holdings in Colgate-Palmolive were worth $3,406,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Union Savings Bank lifted its holdings in Colgate-Palmolive by 76.6% in the fourth quarter. Union Savings Bank now owns 309 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 134 shares during the period. PSI Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 4,971.4% in the 1st quarter. PSI Advisors LLC now owns 355 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 348 shares during the period. Avion Wealth boosted its holdings in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 78.1% in the fourth quarter. Avion Wealth now owns 399 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 175 shares during the last quarter. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Colgate-Palmolive during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Core Wealth Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in Colgate-Palmolive by 56.6% during the fourth quarter. Core Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 404 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 146 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.41% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Colgate-Palmolive

In other Colgate-Palmolive news, insider John W. Kooyman sold 3,497 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 7th. The stock was 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 document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other Colgate-Palmolive news, insider Sally Massey sold 12,226 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $94.06, for a total transaction of $1,149,977.56. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 13,924 shares in the company, valued at $1,309,691.44. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider John W. Kooyman sold 3,497 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $93.47, for a total value of $326,864.59. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 3,181 shares in the company, valued at $297,328.07. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Colgate-Palmolive Price Performance

Colgate-Palmolive stock traded up $0.17 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $97.42. 2,859,770 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,395,770. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $95.27 and its 200-day moving average is $89.21. Colgate-Palmolive has a 12 month low of $67.62 and a 12 month high of $99.08. The stock has a market cap of $79.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.83, a PEG ratio of 3.61 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a quick ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 13.21.

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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 company had revenue of $5.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.96 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.73 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Colgate-Palmolive will post 3.53 EPS for the current year.

Colgate-Palmolive Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 19th will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 19th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.05%. Colgate-Palmolive’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 63.29%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on CL shares. Argus boosted their price objective on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $97.00 to $107.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 15th. Evercore ISI lifted 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. Barclays increased their price target on Colgate-Palmolive from $84.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 30th. BNP Paribas initiated coverage on Colgate-Palmolive in a research report on Monday, June 24th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $109.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Bank of America upped their price objective on Colgate-Palmolive from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 10th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Colgate-Palmolive presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $95.33.

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.