National Pension Service Purchases 274,534 Shares of Colgate-Palmolive Company $CL

National Pension Service boosted its position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive Company (NYSE:CL) by 13.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,384,089 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 274,534 shares during the period. National Pension Service owned about 0.30% of Colgate-Palmolive worth $188,391,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in Colgate-Palmolive by 86.7% in the 4th quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 323 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 150 shares during the period. Maseco LLP purchased a new stake in Colgate-Palmolive in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Cloud Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Colgate-Palmolive in the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,000. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates boosted its position in Colgate-Palmolive by 300.0% in the 4th quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 400 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 300 shares during the period. Finally, Grove Bank & Trust boosted its position in Colgate-Palmolive by 182.6% in the 4th quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 407 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 263 shares during the period. 80.41% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have issued reports on CL. Evercore boosted their price objective on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $94.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $100.00 price objective on shares of Colgate-Palmolive and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Colgate-Palmolive in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $102.00 price objective on shares of Colgate-Palmolive in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $100.00 to $92.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $95.88.

Colgate-Palmolive Price Performance

Shares of CL opened at $90.26 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $86.29 and a 200-day moving average price of $85.64. Colgate-Palmolive Company has a fifty-two week low of $74.54 and a fifty-two week high of $99.33. The stock has a market capitalization of $72.22 billion, a PE ratio of 35.12, a PEG ratio of 4.76 and a beta of 0.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 16.33, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 1.02.

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 1st. The company reported $0.97 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.94 by $0.03. Colgate-Palmolive had a net margin of 10.04% and a return on equity of 386.76%. The firm had revenue of $5.32 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.22 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.91 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 8.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Colgate-Palmolive Company will post 3.82 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Colgate-Palmolive Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 20th were given a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, April 20th. This is a boost from Colgate-Palmolive’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. Colgate-Palmolive’s dividend payout ratio is currently 82.49%.

About Colgate-Palmolive

Colgate-Palmolive Company is a global consumer products company with a long history in household and personal care categories. The business traces its roots to the early 19th century and has evolved into a multinational manufacturer and marketer of everyday consumer goods focused on health, hygiene and home care.

The company’s core activities center on oral care, personal care, home care and pet nutrition. Its product portfolio includes toothpaste, toothbrushes and mouthwash in oral care; soaps, body washes and deodorants in personal care; dishwashing liquids, surface cleaners and other household products in home care; and scientifically formulated pet foods under its pet nutrition business.