Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) Shares Sold by North Star Investment Management Corp.

North Star Investment Management Corp. decreased its holdings in Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL - Free Report) by 20.3% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 12,495 shares of the company's stock after selling 3,175 shares during the period. North Star Investment Management Corp.'s holdings in Colgate-Palmolive were worth $1,171,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Colgate-Palmolive by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC now owns 38,786 shares of the company's stock worth $3,526,000 after buying an additional 117 shares during the period. Wescott Financial Advisory Group LLC boosted its holdings in Colgate-Palmolive by 3.5% in the fourth quarter. Wescott Financial Advisory Group LLC now owns 3,517 shares of the company's stock valued at $320,000 after purchasing an additional 119 shares during the last quarter. Aberdeen Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Aberdeen Wealth Management LLC now owns 20,651 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,877,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO boosted its stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 4.0% during the 1st quarter. Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO now owns 3,388 shares of the company's stock valued at $317,000 after buying an additional 130 shares during the last quarter. Finally, TCW Group Inc. raised its holdings in Colgate-Palmolive by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. TCW Group Inc. now owns 15,932 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,448,000 after acquiring an additional 131 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.41% of the company's stock.

Colgate-Palmolive Stock Performance

Shares of CL opened at $90.20 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 13.40, a current ratio of 0.92 and a quick ratio of 0.58. The firm's 50 day moving average is $91.75 and its 200-day moving average is $90.99. Colgate-Palmolive has a 12-month low of $85.32 and a 12-month high of $109.30. The stock has a market capitalization of $73.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.63, a P/E/G ratio of 4.20 and a beta of 0.38.

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 25th. The company reported $0.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 return on equity of 477.77% and a net margin of 14.38%. The firm's revenue was down 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.86 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Colgate-Palmolive will post 3.75 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Colgate-Palmolive declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase program on Thursday, March 20th that permits the company to repurchase $5.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to purchase up to 6.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are typically an indication that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Colgate-Palmolive Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 18th will be issued a dividend of $0.52 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 18th. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.31%. Colgate-Palmolive's payout ratio is presently 58.76%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently commented on CL. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Colgate-Palmolive from $95.00 to $103.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $83.00 to $88.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Barclays decreased their target price on Colgate-Palmolive from $89.00 to $86.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Wall Street Zen lowered Colgate-Palmolive from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, UBS Group increased their target price on Colgate-Palmolive from $105.00 to $109.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $102.12.

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.

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