Vanguard Group Inc. Increases Position in Colgate-Palmolive Company $CL

Key Points

• Vanguard Group boosted its stake in Colgate‑Palmolive by 1.2%, adding 1,026,985 shares to hold 83,947,987 shares (10.41% of the company) valued at about $6.63 billion per its latest 13F filing.
• Colgate beat quarterly estimates with $0.95 EPS versus $0.91 expected and $5.23B revenue (up 5.8% YoY), and the company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.53 ($2.12 annualized, ~2.5% yield).
• Insider selling has been notable: company insiders sold 184,683 shares worth roughly $17.49 million in the last 90 days, including COO Panagiotis Tsourapas selling 35,000 shares at about $94.61 each.

Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Colgate-Palmolive Company (NYSE:CL - Free Report) by 1.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 83,947,987 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 1,026,985 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 10.41% of Colgate-Palmolive worth $6,633,570,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Brighton Jones LLC raised its position in Colgate-Palmolive by 4.4% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 10,578 shares of the company's stock worth $962,000 after buying an additional 450 shares during the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP increased its stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 76.3% during the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 46,361 shares of the company's stock worth $4,344,000 after acquiring an additional 20,062 shares during the period. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. lifted its position in Colgate-Palmolive by 2.0% in the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 12,494 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,136,000 after purchasing an additional 245 shares during the period. Nebula Research & Development LLC boosted its holdings in Colgate-Palmolive by 165.5% in the 2nd quarter. Nebula Research & Development LLC now owns 10,326 shares of the company's stock valued at $939,000 after purchasing an additional 6,437 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sei Investments Co. increased its position in Colgate-Palmolive by 21.7% during the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 657,093 shares of the company's stock worth $59,732,000 after purchasing an additional 116,968 shares during the period. 80.41% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on CL shares. Wall Street Zen lowered Colgate-Palmolive from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday, March 29th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Colgate-Palmolive in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. 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 report on Monday, February 2nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Colgate-Palmolive from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their target price for the company from $90.00 to $98.00 in a report on Monday, March 30th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price target on Colgate-Palmolive from $95.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $95.56.

Insider Activity

In other Colgate-Palmolive news, COO Panagiotis Tsourapas sold 35,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $94.61, for a total transaction of $3,311,350.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 10,415 shares of the company's stock, valued at $985,363.15. This trade represents a 77.07% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Sally Massey sold 15,851 shares of Colgate-Palmolive stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the insider owned 13,751 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,306,757.53. This trade represents a 53.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 184,683 shares of company stock valued at $17,486,693 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.43% of the company's stock.

Colgate-Palmolive Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:CL opened at $84.65 on Monday. The business's fifty day moving average price is $88.79 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $83.95. The stock has a market cap of $67.92 billion, a PE ratio of 32.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.33 and a beta of 0.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 18.82, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a current ratio of 0.83. Colgate-Palmolive Company has a one year low of $74.54 and a one year high of $99.33.

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 for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.91 by $0.04. Colgate-Palmolive had a return on equity of 353.72% and a net margin of 10.45%.The company had revenue of $5.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.13 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.91 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that Colgate-Palmolive Company will post 3.85 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Colgate-Palmolive Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced 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 dividend payout ratio is presently 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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