Swiss National Bank Sells 113,100 Shares of Colgate-Palmolive Company $CL

Key Points

• Swiss National Bank reduced its Colgate‑Palmolive stake by 4.8%, selling 113,100 shares to hold 2,219,300 shares (about 0.28% of the company) valued at $177.4 million at quarter‑end.
• Insiders have been net sellers — including CFO Stanley Sutula III and John Hazlin — with insiders selling 184,683 shares worth roughly $17.49 million over the last 90 days, leaving insiders owning 0.41% of the stock.
• Colgate beat the quarter (EPS $0.95 vs. $0.91; revenue $5.23B), pays a $0.52 quarterly dividend (2.2% yield), and has a consensus analyst rating of "Moderate Buy" with a $94.75 price target.

Swiss National Bank lessened its holdings in Colgate-Palmolive Company (NYSE:CL - Free Report) by 4.8% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,219,300 shares of the company's stock after selling 113,100 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank owned about 0.28% of Colgate-Palmolive worth $177,411,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 1.2% in the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 82,751,689 shares of the company's stock worth $7,522,129,000 after acquiring an additional 993,432 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $960,390,000. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. increased its position in Colgate-Palmolive by 46.7% during the 3rd quarter. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. now owns 8,077,549 shares of the company's stock worth $645,719,000 after purchasing an additional 2,572,796 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. increased its position in Colgate-Palmolive by 9.1% during the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 7,489,050 shares of the company's stock worth $680,755,000 after purchasing an additional 621,841 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Schroder Investment Management Group lifted its stake in Colgate-Palmolive by 242.3% in the 2nd quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 5,324,115 shares of the company's stock valued at $483,962,000 after purchasing an additional 3,768,784 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.41% of the company's stock.

Colgate-Palmolive Trading Down 0.7%

CL opened at $92.90 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 18.82, a current ratio of 0.83 and a quick ratio of 0.54. Colgate-Palmolive Company has a fifty-two week low of $74.54 and a fifty-two week high of $100.18. The company's 50 day moving average price is $89.24 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $83.08. The firm has a market capitalization of $74.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.46, a PEG ratio of 4.22 and a beta of 0.28.

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The company reported $0.95 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.91 by $0.04. Colgate-Palmolive had a net margin of 10.45% and a return on equity of 353.72%. The firm had revenue of $5.23 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.13 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.91 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that Colgate-Palmolive Company will post 3.75 earnings per share for the current year.

Colgate-Palmolive Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider John Hazlin sold 20,989 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 10th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at $1,663,041.25. This trade represents a 54.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Stanley J. Sutula III sold 97,843 shares of Colgate-Palmolive stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 55,310 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,214,073.70. This represents a 63.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 184,683 shares of company stock valued at $17,486,693 over the last 90 days. 0.41% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have weighed in on CL shares. Royal Bank Of Canada upgraded shares of Colgate-Palmolive from a "sector perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $88.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, December 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $100.00 price target on shares of Colgate-Palmolive in a report on Friday, February 20th. Citigroup increased their price target on Colgate-Palmolive from $95.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Barclays raised their price objective on Colgate-Palmolive from $83.00 to $88.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on Colgate-Palmolive from $85.00 to $91.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Colgate-Palmolive has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $94.75.

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.