Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA Trims Stake in Colgate-Palmolive Company $CL

Key Points

• Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA cut its stake in Colgate‑Palmolive by 98.9% in Q4, selling 240,000 shares and leaving 2,640 shares valued at about $209,000.
• Analysts have become more positive—multiple firms raised price targets and the consensus is a “Moderate Buy” with a $95.19 target—and Colgate beat Q results (EPS $0.95 vs. $0.91) while raising its quarterly dividend to $0.53 ($2.12 annual, ~2.5% yield).
• Significant insider selling occurred recently: the COO sold 15,000 shares and the CFO sold 97,843 shares, with insiders offloading 184,683 shares in the last 90 days and now owning just 0.34% of the stock.

Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA lowered its position in Colgate-Palmolive Company (NYSE:CL - Free Report) by 98.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 2,640 shares of the company's stock after selling 240,000 shares during the period. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA's holdings in Colgate-Palmolive were worth $209,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Copia Wealth Management purchased a new stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive in the third quarter worth approximately $29,000. Cloud Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Colgate-Palmolive during the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates boosted its holdings in Colgate-Palmolive by 300.0% during the 4th quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 400 shares of the company's stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares during the period. Grove Bank & Trust grew its position in Colgate-Palmolive by 182.6% in the 4th quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 407 shares of the company's stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 263 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kelleher Financial Advisors purchased a new stake in Colgate-Palmolive in the third quarter worth $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.41% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on Colgate-Palmolive from $85.00 to $91.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Evercore raised their price target on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $94.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $93.00 to $97.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Royal Bank Of Canada raised shares of Colgate-Palmolive from a "sector perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $88.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Tuesday, December 9th. Finally, Bank of America upped their target price on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $95.19.

Colgate-Palmolive Price Performance

Shares of CL stock opened at $85.04 on Friday. Colgate-Palmolive Company has a twelve month low of $74.54 and a twelve month high of $99.33. 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 stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $91.13 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $83.42. The stock has a market capitalization of $68.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.46, a P/E/G ratio of 3.93 and a beta of 0.34.

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The company reported $0.95 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.91 by $0.04. Colgate-Palmolive had a return on equity of 353.72% and a net margin of 10.45%.The firm had revenue of $5.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.13 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm 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, analysts predict that Colgate-Palmolive Company will post 3.75 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Colgate-Palmolive Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 20th will be given a dividend of $0.53 per share. This is a positive change from Colgate-Palmolive's previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 20th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. Colgate-Palmolive's payout ratio is 79.39%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Colgate-Palmolive

In related news, COO Panagiotis Tsourapas sold 15,000 shares of Colgate-Palmolive stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $97.81, for a total transaction of $1,467,150.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 10,415 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,018,691.15. This trade represents a 59.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Stanley J. Sutula III sold 97,843 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $94.27, for a total value of $9,223,659.61. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 55,310 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,214,073.70. This represents a 63.89% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 184,683 shares of company stock worth $17,486,693. 0.34% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

About Colgate-Palmolive

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.