10,282 Shares in Colgate-Palmolive Company $CL Purchased by Versor Investments LP

Versor Investments LP acquired a new stake in Colgate-Palmolive Company (NYSE:CL) in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor acquired 10,282 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $822,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 1.2% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 82,751,689 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,522,129,000 after purchasing an additional 993,432 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in Colgate-Palmolive in the second quarter worth approximately $960,390,000. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Colgate-Palmolive by 46.7% during the third quarter. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. now owns 8,077,549 shares of the company’s stock worth $645,719,000 after buying an additional 2,572,796 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 9.1% in the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 7,489,050 shares of the company’s stock valued at $680,755,000 after acquiring an additional 621,841 shares during the period. Finally, Acadian Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in Colgate-Palmolive by 42.9% in the second quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 6,124,347 shares of the company’s stock valued at $556,663,000 after acquiring an additional 1,839,853 shares in the last quarter. 80.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Colgate-Palmolive Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of CL opened at $93.98 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $75.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.87, a PEG ratio of 4.25 and a beta of 0.29. Colgate-Palmolive Company has a 12 month low of $74.54 and a 12 month high of $100.18. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $82.72 and its two-hundred day moving average is $81.63. The company has a current ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.90.

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The company reported $0.95 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.91 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $5.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.13 billion. Colgate-Palmolive had a net margin of 10.45% and a return on equity of 353.72%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.91 EPS. Analysts predict that Colgate-Palmolive Company will post 3.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Colgate-Palmolive Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 13th. Investors of record on Wednesday, January 21st will be issued a $0.52 dividend. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, January 21st. Colgate-Palmolive’s payout ratio is presently 79.39%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on CL. UBS Group raised their price objective on Colgate-Palmolive from $90.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Evercore increased their price target on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $94.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Bank of America lifted their price target on Colgate-Palmolive from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Argus restated a “hold” rating on shares of Colgate-Palmolive in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. Finally, Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $95.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Colgate-Palmolive presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $94.47.

Insider Activity at Colgate-Palmolive

In other Colgate-Palmolive news, insider Sally Massey sold 15,851 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.03, for a total transaction of $1,506,320.53. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 13,751 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,306,757.53. This represents a 53.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Stanley J. Sutula III sold 97,843 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $94.27, for a total transaction of $9,223,659.61. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 55,310 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,214,073.70. This represents a 63.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.41% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Colgate-Palmolive Profile

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.