Vest Financial LLC Raises Stock Holdings in Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL)

Vest Financial LLC boosted its holdings in Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL - Free Report) by 25.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 370,071 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 74,337 shares during the period. Vest Financial LLC's holdings in Colgate-Palmolive were worth $29,498,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of CL. Rockland Trust Co. raised its stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 3.4% in the fourth quarter. Rockland Trust Co. now owns 330,592 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,351,000 after buying an additional 11,006 shares during the period. Hudson Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 3.7% in the fourth quarter. Hudson Capital Management LLC now owns 48,159 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,839,000 after buying an additional 1,735 shares during the period. Radnor Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Radnor Capital Management LLC now owns 26,874 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,142,000 after buying an additional 150 shares during the period. AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc bought a new stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive in the fourth quarter valued at $62,728,000. Finally, BKM Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive during the 4th quarter valued at $560,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.36% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Colgate-Palmolive

In other news, CEO Noel R. Wallace sold 50,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $83.15, for a total value of $4,157,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 274,179 shares in the company, valued at $22,797,983.85. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, insider Jennifer Daniels sold 3,538 shares of Colgate-Palmolive stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $84.67, for a total value of $299,562.46. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 59,698 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,054,629.66. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Noel R. Wallace sold 50,000 shares of Colgate-Palmolive stock in a transaction on Monday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $83.15, for a total value of $4,157,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 274,179 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $22,797,983.85. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 232,371 shares of company stock worth $19,505,099. 0.34% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Colgate-Palmolive Stock Down 0.5 %

NYSE:CL traded down $0.40 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $88.37. 3,366,633 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,826,715. The business's 50-day moving average price is $84.53 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $78.43. The stock has a market capitalization of $72.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.79, a P/E/G ratio of 3.37 and a beta of 0.42. Colgate-Palmolive has a 1 year low of $67.62 and a 1 year high of $89.36. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.59.

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 26th. The company reported $0.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.85 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $4.95 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.89 billion. Colgate-Palmolive had a return on equity of 509.75% and a net margin of 11.82%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.77 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Colgate-Palmolive will post 3.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Colgate-Palmolive Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 22nd will be paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. This is a boost from Colgate-Palmolive's previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 19th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.26%. Colgate-Palmolive's payout ratio is presently 69.06%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CL has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. StockNews.com lowered Colgate-Palmolive from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 20th. Barclays upped their target price on Colgate-Palmolive from $75.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 16th. TheStreet upgraded Colgate-Palmolive from a "c+" rating to a "b+" rating in a research note on Friday, January 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on Colgate-Palmolive in a research note on Friday, March 1st. They issued a "buy" rating and a $93.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Bank of America upgraded Colgate-Palmolive from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $90.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 15th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Colgate-Palmolive presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $87.31.

Colgate-Palmolive Company 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.