Natixis Advisors LLC Lowers Stake in Colgate-Palmolive Company $CL

Key Points

• Natixis Advisors LLC cut its position in Colgate‑Palmolive by 18% in Q3, selling 69,383 shares and finishing with 315,651 shares valued at about $25.23 million.
• Major institutions piled in or expanded stakes—Norges Bank opened a roughly $960.4 million position while Schroder, Pacer, Diamond Hill and OMERS each added millions of shares, leaving institutional ownership at 80.41%.
• Operational and market signals are mixed: Colgate beat Q4 estimates (EPS $0.95 vs. $0.91; revenue $5.23B vs. $5.13B) but insiders sold 184,683 shares (~$17.49M) last quarter; analysts' consensus is a "Moderate Buy" with a $94.75 target.

Natixis Advisors LLC lessened its position in Colgate-Palmolive Company (NYSE:CL - Free Report) by 18.0% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 315,651 shares of the company's stock after selling 69,383 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC's holdings in Colgate-Palmolive were worth $25,233,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Colgate-Palmolive during the second quarter valued at about $960,390,000. Schroder Investment Management Group raised its holdings in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 242.3% in the 2nd quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 5,324,115 shares of the company's stock worth $483,962,000 after purchasing an additional 3,768,784 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 2,611,485 shares in the last quarter. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 2,572,796 shares in the last quarter. Finally, OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp grew its holdings in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 2,890.5% during the 2nd quarter. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp now owns 1,417,542 shares of the company's stock worth $128,855,000 after purchasing an additional 1,370,140 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.41% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other Colgate-Palmolive news, COO Panagiotis Tsourapas sold 15,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $97.81, for a total value of $1,467,150.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 10,415 shares in the company, valued at $1,018,691.15. The trade was a 59.02% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider John Hazlin sold 20,989 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 184,683 shares of company stock worth $17,486,693. Corporate insiders own 0.41% of the company's stock.

Colgate-Palmolive Stock Down 0.6%

Shares of NYSE:CL opened at $92.45 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 18.82. Colgate-Palmolive Company has a 52-week low of $74.54 and a 52-week high of $99.33. The company has a 50 day moving average of $89.50 and a two-hundred day moving average of $83.13. The company has a market capitalization of $74.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.17 and a beta of 0.28.

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The company reported $0.95 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.91 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $5.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations 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 for the quarter was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.91 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that Colgate-Palmolive Company will post 3.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently issued reports on CL shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their target price on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $83.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $85.00 to $91.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Argus reissued a "hold" rating on shares of Colgate-Palmolive in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $83.00 to $88.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $95.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $94.75.

Colgate-Palmolive Company 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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