Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. Sells 5,053 Shares of Colgate-Palmolive Company (NYSE:CL)

Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. reduced its position in Colgate-Palmolive Company (NYSE:CL - Free Report) by 4.0% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 120,238 shares of the company's stock after selling 5,053 shares during the quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc.'s holdings in Colgate-Palmolive were worth $11,266,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several 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 in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in Colgate-Palmolive in the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA acquired a new position in Colgate-Palmolive during the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Briaud Financial Planning Inc bought a new position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive during the fourth quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, Wintrust Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive during the fourth quarter valued at $33,000. 80.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Colgate-Palmolive Trading Down 0.4%

CL stock traded down $0.38 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $87.80. The stock had a trading volume of 3,407,409 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,784,635. The firm has a market cap of $71.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.80, a PEG ratio of 4.71 and a beta of 0.38. Colgate-Palmolive Company has a twelve month low of $85.32 and a twelve month high of $109.30. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.96. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $91.26 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $90.69.

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 25th. The company reported $0.91 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.86 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $4.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.92 billion. Colgate-Palmolive had a net margin of 14.52% and a return on equity of 461.04%. Colgate-Palmolive's revenue was down 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.86 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Colgate-Palmolive Company will post 3.75 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Colgate-Palmolive declared that its board has initiated a stock buyback program on Thursday, March 20th that authorizes the company to repurchase $5.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to repurchase up to 6.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are generally a sign that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Colgate-Palmolive Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 18th will be given a dividend of $0.52 per share. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.37%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 18th. Colgate-Palmolive's payout ratio is 58.76%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CL has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $103.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $89.00 to $86.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 11th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $83.00 to $88.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. UBS Group increased their price target on Colgate-Palmolive from $105.00 to $109.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Colgate-Palmolive from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Colgate-Palmolive currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $101.69.

About Colgate-Palmolive

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.