AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc Trims Stock Holdings in Colgate-Palmolive Company $CL

Key Points

• AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc cut its Colgate‑Palmolive stake by 24.8% in Q4, selling 214,320 shares and finishing the period with 651,304 shares worth about $51.47 million (≈0.08% ownership).
• Insiders sold heavily over the quarter—a total of 184,683 shares valued at roughly $17.49 million (notable sales by Sally Massey and John Hazlin), leaving company insiders with about 0.43% ownership.
• Operational and cash returns: Colgate beat Q4 estimates (EPS $0.95 vs. $0.91; revenue $5.23B vs. $5.13B), raised its quarterly dividend to $0.53 ($2.12 annualized, ~2.5% yield), and holds a consensus "Moderate Buy" with an average target of $95.56.

AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc lowered its holdings in Colgate-Palmolive Company (NYSE:CL - Free Report) by 24.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 651,304 shares of the company's stock after selling 214,320 shares during the period. AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc owned about 0.08% of Colgate-Palmolive worth $51,466,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Colgate-Palmolive by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 83,947,987 shares of the company's stock valued at $6,633,570,000 after purchasing an additional 1,026,985 shares during the last quarter. First Interstate Bank boosted its holdings in Colgate-Palmolive by 104.0% in the fourth quarter. First Interstate Bank now owns 6,816 shares of the company's stock valued at $539,000 after purchasing an additional 3,475 shares during the last quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc lifted its holdings in Colgate-Palmolive by 29.2% during the 4th quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 326,779 shares of the company's stock worth $25,822,000 after buying an additional 73,814 shares during the last quarter. Mattern Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Colgate-Palmolive by 7.6% during the 4th quarter. Mattern Capital Management LLC now owns 105,600 shares of the company's stock worth $8,345,000 after buying an additional 7,416 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Klingman & Associates LLC lifted its holdings in Colgate-Palmolive by 8.9% during the 4th quarter. Klingman & Associates LLC now owns 3,930 shares of the company's stock worth $311,000 after buying an additional 321 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.41% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other 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 sale, the insider directly owned 13,751 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,306,757.53. This represents a 53.55% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider John Hazlin sold 20,989 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $94.25, for a total value of $1,978,213.25. Following the sale, the insider owned 17,645 shares in the company, valued at $1,663,041.25. The trade was a 54.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 184,683 shares of company stock valued at $17,486,693 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.43% of the company's stock.

Colgate-Palmolive Stock Up 1.1%

Shares of Colgate-Palmolive stock opened at $84.65 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 18.82. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $88.79 and its 200-day simple moving average is $83.91. The stock has a market capitalization of $67.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.31, a PEG ratio of 4.28 and a beta of 0.34. Colgate-Palmolive Company has a twelve month low of $74.54 and a twelve month high of $99.33.

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The company reported $0.95 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.91 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $5.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.13 billion. Colgate-Palmolive had a return on equity of 353.72% and a net margin of 10.45%.The business's quarterly revenue was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.91 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Colgate-Palmolive Company will post 3.85 earnings per share for the current year.

Colgate-Palmolive Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 20th will be given a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 20th. This is a positive change from Colgate-Palmolive's previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. Colgate-Palmolive's payout ratio is currently 80.92%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. Evercore increased their target price on Colgate-Palmolive from $94.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. UBS Group reduced their target price on Colgate-Palmolive from $100.00 to $98.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Colgate-Palmolive from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their target price for the stock from $90.00 to $98.00 in a report on Monday, March 30th. Piper Sandler reduced their target price on Colgate-Palmolive from $96.00 to $92.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada set a $102.00 target price on Colgate-Palmolive in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $95.56.

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.

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