Vise Technologies Inc. Raises Stake in Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL)

Vise Technologies Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL - Free Report) by 64.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 17,586 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 6,883 shares during the quarter. Vise Technologies Inc.'s holdings in Colgate-Palmolive were worth $1,599,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC now owns 38,786 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,526,000 after purchasing an additional 117 shares during the last quarter. Commonwealth Financial Services LLC boosted its stake in Colgate-Palmolive by 4.5% in the fourth quarter. Commonwealth Financial Services LLC now owns 2,716 shares of the company's stock worth $247,000 after buying an additional 118 shares in the last quarter. Wescott Financial Advisory Group LLC grew its position in Colgate-Palmolive by 3.5% during the fourth quarter. Wescott Financial Advisory Group LLC now owns 3,517 shares of the company's stock valued at $320,000 after acquiring an additional 119 shares during the last quarter. D Orazio & Associates Inc. grew its position in Colgate-Palmolive by 4.2% during the fourth quarter. D Orazio & Associates Inc. now owns 2,982 shares of the company's stock valued at $271,000 after acquiring an additional 120 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Lantz Financial LLC raised its stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Lantz Financial LLC now owns 20,140 shares of the company's stock worth $1,831,000 after acquiring an additional 122 shares in the last quarter. 80.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Colgate-Palmolive Stock Performance

NYSE CL traded down $0.16 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $92.43. 6,055,170 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,683,281. The company has a current ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 13.40. Colgate-Palmolive has a 52 week low of $85.32 and a 52 week high of $109.30. The firm has a market capitalization of $74.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.26, a P/E/G ratio of 4.20 and a beta of 0.39. The business's fifty day moving average price is $91.85 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $91.25.

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 25th. The company reported $0.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.86 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $4.91 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.92 billion. Colgate-Palmolive had a net margin of 14.38% and a return on equity of 477.77%. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.86 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Colgate-Palmolive will post 3.75 EPS for the current year.

Colgate-Palmolive declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, March 20th that permits the company to buyback $5.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to reacquire up to 6.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are typically a sign that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Colgate-Palmolive Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 17th were paid a $0.52 dividend. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.25%. This is a positive change from Colgate-Palmolive's previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 17th. Colgate-Palmolive's dividend payout ratio is 58.76%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on CL. Raymond James reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $105.00 price objective (down previously from $110.00) on shares of Colgate-Palmolive in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $103.00 to $108.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 28th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $95.00 to $93.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $95.00 to $103.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, April 28th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a "sector perform" rating and set a $101.00 target price on shares of Colgate-Palmolive in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Colgate-Palmolive has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $102.12.

Colgate-Palmolive Profile

Colgate-Palmolive Company, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells consumer products in the United States and internationally. It operates through two segments: Oral, Personal and Home Care; and Pet Nutrition. The Oral, Personal and Home Care segment offers toothpaste, toothbrushes, mouthwash, bar and liquid hand soaps, shower gels, shampoos, conditioners, deodorants and antiperspirants, skin health products, dishwashing detergents, fabric conditioners, household cleaners, and other related items.