Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) has been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eighteen ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $98.58.

CL has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Evercore ISI raised their price target on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $100.00 to $106.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, July 18th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their target price on Colgate-Palmolive from $98.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. Barclays increased their price objective on Colgate-Palmolive from $85.00 to $91.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, July 19th. BNP Paribas began coverage on Colgate-Palmolive in a research note on Monday, June 24th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $109.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lowered Colgate-Palmolive from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and dropped their target price for the company from $103.00 to $95.00 in a research report on Wednesday.

Colgate-Palmolive Price Performance

Shares of CL stock opened at $96.49 on Friday. Colgate-Palmolive has a 1-year low of $67.62 and a 1-year high of $99.63. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $95.72 and its 200 day moving average is $89.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 13.21, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 0.70. The company has a market cap of $79.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.53, a PEG ratio of 3.49 and a beta of 0.39.

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) last released its earnings results on Friday, April 26th. The company reported $0.86 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.82 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $5.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.96 billion. Colgate-Palmolive had a net margin of 13.22% and a return on equity of 485.40%. Colgate-Palmolive’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.73 EPS. Research analysts predict that Colgate-Palmolive will post 3.53 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Colgate-Palmolive Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 15th. Investors of record on Friday, July 19th will be paid a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 19th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.07%. Colgate-Palmolive’s dividend payout ratio is presently 63.29%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Sally Massey sold 12,226 shares of the 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 transaction, the insider now owns 13,924 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,309,691.44. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In related news, insider Sally Massey sold 12,226 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $94.06, for a total transaction of $1,149,977.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 13,924 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,309,691.44. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider John W. Kooyman sold 3,497 shares of Colgate-Palmolive stock in a transaction dated 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. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CL. Union Savings Bank lifted its stake in Colgate-Palmolive by 76.6% in the 4th quarter. Union Savings Bank now owns 309 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 134 shares in the last quarter. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive during the second quarter valued at about $25,000. Avion Wealth raised its holdings in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 78.1% in the 4th quarter. Avion Wealth now owns 399 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 175 shares during the period. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Colgate-Palmolive during the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, PSI Advisors LLC grew its position in Colgate-Palmolive by 4,971.4% in the 1st quarter. PSI Advisors LLC now owns 355 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 348 shares in the last quarter. 80.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Colgate-Palmolive

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.