Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) Shares Sold by Level Four Advisory Services LLC

Level Four Advisory Services LLC lessened its stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) by 16.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,766 shares of the company’s stock after selling 965 shares during the period. Level Four Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Colgate-Palmolive were worth $433,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of CL. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Centricity Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Colgate-Palmolive in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA acquired a new position in Colgate-Palmolive in the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Briaud Financial Planning Inc purchased a new position in Colgate-Palmolive in the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, Wintrust Investments LLC acquired a new stake in Colgate-Palmolive during the 4th quarter worth $33,000. 80.41% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently weighed in on CL. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and issued a $101.00 price target on shares of Colgate-Palmolive in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $104.00 to $100.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Raymond James restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $105.00 price target (down from $110.00) on shares of Colgate-Palmolive in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Colgate-Palmolive from $92.00 to $83.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on Colgate-Palmolive from $95.00 to $93.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $101.78.

Colgate-Palmolive Price Performance

CL stock opened at $93.84 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 13.40. The company has a market capitalization of $76.11 billion, a PE ratio of 26.66, a P/E/G ratio of 4.20 and a beta of 0.40. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $89.80 and its 200 day moving average price is $93.44. Colgate-Palmolive has a 12-month low of $85.32 and a 12-month high of $109.30.

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) last announced its earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $0.91 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.90 by $0.01. Colgate-Palmolive had a net margin of 14.38% and a return on equity of 477.77%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.87 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Colgate-Palmolive will post 3.75 EPS for the current year.

Colgate-Palmolive Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 17th will be paid a $0.52 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 17th. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.22%. This is an increase from Colgate-Palmolive’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. Colgate-Palmolive’s payout ratio is currently 59.09%.

Colgate-Palmolive declared that its board has approved a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, March 20th that allows the company to repurchase $5.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to buy up to 6.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

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.