Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. Sells 8,004 Shares of Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL)

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. lowered its stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL - Free Report) by 3.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 197,082 shares of the company's stock after selling 8,004 shares during the period. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A.'s holdings in Colgate-Palmolive were worth $17,933,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. boosted its position in Colgate-Palmolive by 66.9% in the fourth quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. now owns 942,870 shares of the company's stock worth $85,716,000 after purchasing an additional 377,900 shares during the last quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Colgate-Palmolive during the fourth quarter worth about $456,000. Pinebridge Investments L.P. raised its position in Colgate-Palmolive by 143.1% in the fourth quarter. Pinebridge Investments L.P. now owns 429,295 shares of the company's stock worth $39,027,000 after acquiring an additional 252,684 shares during the period. Alta Advisers Ltd boosted its stake in Colgate-Palmolive by 20.4% in the fourth quarter. Alta Advisers Ltd now owns 2,770 shares of the company's stock valued at $252,000 after acquiring an additional 470 shares during the last quarter. Finally, J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG grew its position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 3.5% during the 4th quarter. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG now owns 832,049 shares of the company's stock valued at $75,641,000 after acquiring an additional 27,926 shares during the period. 80.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Colgate-Palmolive Price Performance

Shares of NYSE CL traded down $0.58 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $91.75. 1,348,805 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,653,071. The company has a market capitalization of $74.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.20 and a beta of 0.40. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $92.23 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $92.06. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 13.40. Colgate-Palmolive has a 52-week low of $85.32 and a 52-week high of $109.30.

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Friday, April 25th. The company reported $0.91 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.86 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $4.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.92 billion. Colgate-Palmolive had a net margin of 14.38% and a return on equity of 477.77%. The firm's revenue was down 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.86 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Colgate-Palmolive will post 3.75 EPS for the current year.

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

Colgate-Palmolive Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 17th will be issued a $0.52 dividend. This is a boost from Colgate-Palmolive's previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 17th. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.27%. Colgate-Palmolive's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 59.09%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently commented on CL. Piper Sandler reduced their price objective on Colgate-Palmolive from $108.00 to $107.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 31st. StockNews.com upgraded Colgate-Palmolive from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Colgate-Palmolive from $103.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a "sector perform" rating and set a $101.00 price objective on shares of Colgate-Palmolive in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $95.00 to $93.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Colgate-Palmolive has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $102.39.

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.