Mizuho Markets Americas LLC Has $4.95 Million Stake in Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL)

Mizuho Markets Americas LLC grew its stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL - Free Report) by 46.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 62,094 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 19,695 shares during the period. Mizuho Markets Americas LLC's holdings in Colgate-Palmolive were worth $4,950,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Avion Wealth boosted its stake in Colgate-Palmolive by 78.1% during the fourth quarter. Avion Wealth now owns 399 shares of the company's stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 175 shares in the last quarter. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Colgate-Palmolive in the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive in the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 142.0% during the 3rd quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 496 shares of the company's stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 291 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 80.41% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Sally Massey sold 12,226 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $94.06, for a total value of $1,149,977.56. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 13,924 shares in the company, valued at $1,309,691.44. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, insider Sally Massey sold 12,226 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $94.06, for a total transaction of $1,149,977.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 13,924 shares in the company, valued at $1,309,691.44. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Noel R. Wallace sold 69,948 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $84.22, for a total transaction of $5,891,020.56. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 286,881 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $24,161,117.82. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 89,209 shares of company stock valued at $7,667,425 in the last 90 days. 0.34% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Colgate-Palmolive Trading Down 0.4 %

Shares of CL stock traded down $0.40 on Friday, reaching $94.13. 4,135,238 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,852,708. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 13.21, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 0.70. Colgate-Palmolive has a one year low of $67.62 and a one year high of $95.59. The stock has a market cap of $77.23 billion, a PE ratio of 29.79, a P/E/G ratio of 3.48 and a beta of 0.40. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $89.81 and a 200 day moving average price of $83.76.

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Friday, April 26th. The company reported $0.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.82 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $5.07 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.96 billion. Colgate-Palmolive had a net margin of 13.22% and a return on equity of 485.40%. The company's revenue was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.73 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Colgate-Palmolive will post 3.53 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Colgate-Palmolive Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 22nd were given 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 of this dividend was Friday, April 19th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.12%. Colgate-Palmolive's payout ratio is presently 63.29%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $90.00 to $92.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, April 29th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Colgate-Palmolive from $85.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, January 29th. Argus boosted their price target on Colgate-Palmolive from $97.00 to $107.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Bank of America lifted their price objective on Colgate-Palmolive from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 29th. Finally, Evercore ISI upped their target price on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $90.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, April 8th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $92.35.

About Colgate-Palmolive

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding CL? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.