Vicus Capital Sells 14,014 Shares of Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL)

Vicus Capital decreased its position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL - Free Report) by 7.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 167,950 shares of the company's stock after selling 14,014 shares during the quarter. Colgate-Palmolive makes up approximately 1.3% of Vicus Capital's holdings, making the stock its 20th largest holding. Vicus Capital's holdings in Colgate-Palmolive were worth $13,387,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vest Financial LLC boosted its position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 25.1% in the 4th quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 370,071 shares of the company's stock worth $29,498,000 after purchasing an additional 74,337 shares during the last quarter. Central Bank & Trust Co. boosted its position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 22.1% in the 4th quarter. Central Bank & Trust Co. now owns 1,383 shares of the company's stock worth $110,000 after purchasing an additional 250 shares during the last quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC boosted its position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 9.2% in the 4th quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 10,808 shares of the company's stock worth $864,000 after purchasing an additional 910 shares during the last quarter. Sarasin & Partners LLP lifted its holdings in Colgate-Palmolive by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Sarasin & Partners LLP now owns 4,053,634 shares of the company's stock worth $323,115,000 after acquiring an additional 49,980 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Colgate-Palmolive by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC now owns 7,170 shares of the company's stock worth $571,000 after acquiring an additional 172 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.41% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Colgate-Palmolive

In other news, Director C Martin Harris sold 2,760 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $84.50, for a total transaction of $233,220.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 19,272 shares in the company, valued at $1,628,484. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, Director C Martin Harris sold 2,760 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $84.50, for a total value of $233,220.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 19,272 shares in the company, valued at $1,628,484. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Noel R. Wallace sold 50,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 12th. The shares were 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 owns 274,179 shares of the company's stock, valued at $22,797,983.85. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 232,371 shares of company stock worth $19,505,099 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.34% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have weighed in on CL shares. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on Colgate-Palmolive from $89.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Colgate-Palmolive from $88.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, January 18th. TheStreet upgraded Colgate-Palmolive from a "c+" rating to a "b+" rating in a report on Friday, January 26th. StockNews.com downgraded Colgate-Palmolive from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 20th. Finally, Raymond James raised Colgate-Palmolive from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $91.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 29th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $89.50.

Colgate-Palmolive Stock Performance

Colgate-Palmolive stock traded up $0.91 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $87.13. 6,005,071 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,627,129. Colgate-Palmolive has a 52 week low of $67.62 and a 52 week high of $90.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.59, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a current ratio of 1.11. The firm has a market cap of $71.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.34, a P/E/G ratio of 3.26 and a beta of 0.42. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $87.10 and its 200 day simple moving average is $80.85.

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 26th. The company reported $0.87 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.85 by $0.02. Colgate-Palmolive had a return on equity of 509.75% and a net margin of 11.82%. The business had revenue of $4.95 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.89 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.77 earnings per share. Colgate-Palmolive's quarterly revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that Colgate-Palmolive will post 3.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Colgate-Palmolive Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 22nd will be issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.30%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 19th. This is a boost from Colgate-Palmolive's previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. Colgate-Palmolive's payout ratio is currently 69.06%.

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.