Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Boosts Stake in Colgate-Palmolive Company $CL

Key Points

• Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH increased its stake in Colgate‑Palmolive by 5.1% in Q4, buying 36,398 shares to hold 755,418 shares worth about $60.14 million (≈0.09% of the company) at quarter‑end.
• Analyst activity is mixed but constructive — multiple firms adjusted targets (Citigroup $105, RBC $102, UBS $98, Jefferies $91) and the stock carries a consensus Moderate Buy with an average target of $95.88 (12 Buys, 6 Holds).
• Colgate beat estimates with $0.95 EPS (vs. $0.91) and $5.23B revenue (+5.8% YoY), and raised its quarterly dividend to $0.53 (annualized $2.12, 2.6% yield); the ex‑dividend date is April 20 and payment is May 15.

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH grew its stake in Colgate-Palmolive Company (NYSE:CL - Free Report) by 5.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 755,418 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 36,398 shares during the period. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH owned 0.09% of Colgate-Palmolive worth $60,138,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Sunpointe LLC raised 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 worth $241,000 after buying an additional 117 shares during the last quarter. Capital Advisors Inc. OK raised 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 worth $758,000 after buying an additional 129 shares during the last quarter. Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC raised 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 worth $241,000 after buying an additional 130 shares during the last quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC raised 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 worth $724,000 after buying an additional 136 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tema Etfs LLC raised its holdings in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Tema Etfs LLC now owns 11,997 shares of the company's stock worth $948,000 after buying an additional 141 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.41% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

CL has been the subject of several recent research reports. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $95.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Colgate-Palmolive in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $102.00 target price on shares of Colgate-Palmolive in a report on Thursday, April 9th. UBS Group reduced their target price on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $100.00 to $98.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $85.00 to $91.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Colgate-Palmolive presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $95.88.

Colgate-Palmolive Trading Up 0.5%

Shares of Colgate-Palmolive stock opened at $82.25 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 18.82, a current ratio of 0.83 and a quick ratio of 0.54. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $89.27 and a 200 day moving average price of $83.82. Colgate-Palmolive Company has a 1 year low of $74.54 and a 1 year high of $99.33. The stock has a market cap of $65.99 billion, a PE ratio of 31.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.17 and a beta of 0.34.

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL - Get Free Report) last released 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. The company 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 firm's revenue was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.91 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Colgate-Palmolive Company will post 3.87 earnings per share for the current year.

Colgate-Palmolive Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors of record on Monday, April 20th will be given a dividend of $0.53 per share. This is a boost from Colgate-Palmolive's previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 20th. Colgate-Palmolive's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 80.92%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider John Hazlin sold 20,989 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 sale, the insider owned 17,645 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,663,041.25. This trade represents a 54.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Sally Massey sold 15,851 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.03, for a total transaction of $1,506,320.53. Following the sale, the insider owned 13,751 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,306,757.53. This represents a 53.55% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 184,683 shares of company stock worth $17,486,693 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.43% of the company's stock.

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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