Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp Sells 225,005 Shares of Colgate-Palmolive Company $CL

Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp lowered its position in Colgate-Palmolive Company (NYSE:CL - Free Report) by 21.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 843,807 shares of the company's stock after selling 225,005 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp owned 0.10% of Colgate-Palmolive worth $66,678,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Sunpointe LLC increased its holdings in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 4.0% in the fourth quarter. Sunpointe LLC now owns 3,056 shares of the company's stock valued at $241,000 after purchasing an additional 117 shares in the last quarter. Capital Advisors Inc. OK increased its holdings in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. Capital Advisors Inc. OK now owns 9,595 shares of the company's stock valued at $758,000 after purchasing an additional 129 shares in the last quarter. Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 4.5% in the third quarter. Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,015 shares of the company's stock valued at $241,000 after purchasing an additional 130 shares in the last quarter. Eads & Heald Wealth Management increased its holdings in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Eads & Heald Wealth Management now owns 20,744 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,639,000 after purchasing an additional 132 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 1.5% in the third quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC now owns 9,387 shares of the company's stock valued at $724,000 after purchasing an additional 136 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.41% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently issued reports on CL. UBS Group reduced their price target on Colgate-Palmolive from $100.00 to $98.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. TD Cowen restated a "hold" rating and issued a $85.00 price target on shares of Colgate-Palmolive in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "buy" rating and issued a $100.00 price target on shares of Colgate-Palmolive in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Colgate-Palmolive from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price target for the stock from $90.00 to $98.00 in a research report on Monday, March 30th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on Colgate-Palmolive from $100.00 to $95.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Colgate-Palmolive has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $95.56.

Insider Activity at Colgate-Palmolive

In related news, COO Panagiotis Tsourapas sold 35,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $94.61, for a total value of $3,311,350.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 10,415 shares of the company's stock, valued at $985,363.15. This represents a 77.07% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider John Hazlin sold 20,989 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $94.25, for a total transaction of $1,978,213.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 17,645 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,663,041.25. The trade was a 54.33% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 184,683 shares of company stock worth $17,486,693 in the last 90 days. 0.43% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Colgate-Palmolive Stock Up 1.7%

Shares of CL stock opened at $85.64 on Wednesday. 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 firm's 50-day moving average is $88.34 and its 200-day moving average is $84.05. The stock has a market cap of $68.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.69, a PEG ratio of 4.31 and a beta of 0.34. Colgate-Palmolive Company has a 52-week low of $74.54 and a 52-week high of $99.33.

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

Colgate-Palmolive Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors of record on Monday, April 20th will be paid a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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%.

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.

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