Russell Investments Group Ltd. Sells 220,791 Shares of Colgate-Palmolive Company $CL

Key Points

• Russell Investments cut its stake in Colgate‑Palmolive by 18% in Q3, selling 220,791 shares and now holds 1,003,587 shares valued at about $80.31 million (roughly 0.12% of the company).
• Colgate beat the quarter with EPS $0.95 vs. $0.91 and revenue of $5.23 billion (up 5.8% year‑over‑year), and it declared a $0.52 quarterly dividend, representing a ~2.2% yield.
• Major institutions reshuffled positions — Vanguard increased holdings, Norges Bank initiated a roughly $960 million stake, and Diamond Hill enlarged its position; institutional ownership stands at ~80.4%, while analysts give a "Moderate Buy" consensus with an average target of $94.75 (Bank of America target $100).

Russell Investments Group Ltd. cut its stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive Company (NYSE:CL - Free Report) by 18.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,003,587 shares of the company's stock after selling 220,791 shares during the quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned approximately 0.12% of Colgate-Palmolive worth $80,313,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Colgate-Palmolive by 1.2% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 82,751,689 shares of the company's stock worth $7,522,129,000 after purchasing an additional 993,432 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive in the 2nd quarter valued at $960,390,000. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. boosted 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 during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. increased its position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 9.1% during the second quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 7,489,050 shares of the company's stock worth $680,755,000 after buying an additional 621,841 shares during the period. Finally, Schroder Investment Management Group raised its stake in Colgate-Palmolive by 242.3% during the second quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 5,324,115 shares of the company's stock worth $483,962,000 after buying an additional 3,768,784 shares during the last quarter. 80.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. Bank of America upped their price target on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $93.00 price objective on Colgate-Palmolive in a research report on Friday, February 13th. TD Cowen reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Colgate-Palmolive in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Colgate-Palmolive in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Piper Sandler lifted their target price on Colgate-Palmolive from $88.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $94.75.

Colgate-Palmolive Stock Down 0.7%

CL stock opened at $92.90 on Tuesday. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $89.24 and its 200 day simple moving average is $83.08. Colgate-Palmolive Company has a fifty-two week low of $74.54 and a fifty-two week high of $100.18. 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 company has a market cap of $74.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.22 and a beta of 0.28.

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, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.91 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $5.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.13 billion. Colgate-Palmolive had a return on equity of 353.72% and a net margin of 10.45%.The company's revenue for the quarter was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.91 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that Colgate-Palmolive Company will post 3.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Colgate-Palmolive Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Investors of record on Wednesday, January 21st were given a $0.52 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, January 21st. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. Colgate-Palmolive's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 79.39%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Colgate-Palmolive

In other Colgate-Palmolive news, CFO Stanley J. Sutula III sold 97,843 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $94.27, for a total transaction of $9,223,659.61. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 55,310 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,214,073.70. The trade was a 63.89% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Sally Massey sold 15,851 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.03, for a total transaction of $1,506,320.53. Following the transaction, the insider owned 13,751 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,306,757.53. The trade was a 53.55% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 184,683 shares of company stock worth $17,486,693. Company insiders own 0.41% of the company's stock.

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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