Colgate-Palmolive Company $CL Shares Bought by KBC Group NV

Key Points

• KBC Group NV increased its stake in Colgate‑Palmolive by 23.8% in Q4, buying 96,924 shares to hold 503,728 shares (~$39.8M), as broad institutional accumulation leaves institutions owning about 80.41% of CL.
• Insiders have been net sellers: the CFO sold 97,843 shares and the COO sold 35,000, with insiders offloading 184,683 shares (~$17.49M) in the last 90 days and now owning 0.43% of the company.
• Operational and shareholder updates: Colgate beat Q results (EPS $0.95 vs $0.91; revenue $5.23B vs $5.13B), raised the quarterly dividend to $0.53 (annualized $2.12, yield ~2.5%), and the stock carries a consensus “Moderate Buy” with an average price target of $95.56.

KBC Group NV grew its position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive Company (NYSE:CL - Free Report) by 23.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 503,728 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 96,924 shares during the period. KBC Group NV owned approximately 0.06% of Colgate-Palmolive worth $39,804,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of CL. Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its position in Colgate-Palmolive by 3,052.2% in the 3rd quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 2,697,047 shares of the company's stock valued at $215,602,000 after acquiring an additional 2,611,485 shares in the last quarter. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. grew its position in Colgate-Palmolive by 46.7% in the 3rd quarter. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. now owns 8,077,549 shares of the company's stock valued at $645,719,000 after acquiring an additional 2,572,796 shares in the last quarter. Amundi grew its position in Colgate-Palmolive by 41.6% in the 3rd quarter. Amundi now owns 6,294,445 shares of the company's stock valued at $487,505,000 after acquiring an additional 1,850,412 shares in the last quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP grew its position in Colgate-Palmolive by 360.9% in the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 2,126,249 shares of the company's stock valued at $169,972,000 after acquiring an additional 1,664,949 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC grew its position in Colgate-Palmolive by 3,896.0% in the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 1,189,005 shares of the company's stock valued at $93,955,000 after acquiring an additional 1,159,250 shares in the last quarter. 80.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on CL. Bank of America dropped their target price on Colgate-Palmolive from $105.00 to $102.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on 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. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $100.00 target price on shares of Colgate-Palmolive in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Citigroup lifted their target price on Colgate-Palmolive from $95.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Colgate-Palmolive from $93.00 to $97.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $95.56.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO Stanley J. Sutula III sold 97,843 shares of the business'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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,214,073.70. The trade was a 63.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, COO Panagiotis Tsourapas sold 35,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $94.61, for a total value of $3,311,350.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 10,415 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $985,363.15. This represents a 77.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 184,683 shares of company stock valued at $17,486,693. Corporate insiders own 0.43% of the company's stock.

Colgate-Palmolive Stock Performance

Shares of Colgate-Palmolive stock opened at $83.61 on Friday. Colgate-Palmolive Company has a one year low of $74.54 and a one year high of $99.33. The company has a market cap of $67.08 billion, a PE ratio of 31.91, a P/E/G ratio of 4.15 and a beta of 0.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 18.82, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a current ratio of 0.83. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $90.16 and a 200-day simple moving average of $83.67.

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 30th. The company reported $0.95 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.91 by $0.04. Colgate-Palmolive had a return on equity of 353.72% and a net margin of 10.45%.The business had revenue of $5.23 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.13 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.91 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Colgate-Palmolive Company will post 3.75 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Colgate-Palmolive Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed 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 is a boost from Colgate-Palmolive's previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 20th. Colgate-Palmolive's dividend payout ratio is presently 79.39%.

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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