Unigestion Holding SA Acquires 244,071 Shares of Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL)

Unigestion Holding SA lifted its holdings in Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) by 301.4% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 325,056 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 244,071 shares during the period. Colgate-Palmolive accounts for 1.6% of Unigestion Holding SA’s portfolio, making the stock its 24th biggest position. Unigestion Holding SA’s holdings in Colgate-Palmolive were worth $33,738,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Acadian Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 108.4% during the 2nd quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 5,682,280 shares of the company’s stock worth $551,367,000 after buying an additional 2,955,442 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC raised its holdings in Colgate-Palmolive by 65.6% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 6,749,275 shares of the company’s stock worth $700,642,000 after acquiring an additional 2,674,807 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its position in Colgate-Palmolive by 40.7% during the second quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 8,969,498 shares of the company’s stock valued at $870,400,000 after purchasing an additional 2,593,313 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC increased its position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 38.7% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 7,644,189 shares of the company’s stock worth $793,542,000 after purchasing an additional 2,132,747 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp raised its stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 3.8% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 48,436,276 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,028,170,000 after purchasing an additional 1,784,411 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.41% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on CL. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Colgate-Palmolive from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 25th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Colgate-Palmolive from $100.00 to $92.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, October 28th. UBS Group raised their price objective on Colgate-Palmolive from $119.00 to $122.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 4th. TD Cowen decreased their target price on Colgate-Palmolive from $115.00 to $110.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, October 28th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded Colgate-Palmolive from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and raised their price target for the company from $107.00 to $109.00 in a report on Monday, September 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $105.11.

Colgate-Palmolive Price Performance

Colgate-Palmolive stock opened at $93.88 on Wednesday. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $96.33 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $98.65. The firm has a market cap of $76.70 billion, a PE ratio of 26.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.36 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 9.46, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 0.68. Colgate-Palmolive has a one year low of $75.50 and a one year high of $109.30.

Colgate-Palmolive Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 18th were paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, October 18th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.13%. Colgate-Palmolive’s payout ratio is 57.31%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Stanley J. Sutula III sold 45,410 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $94.11, for a total transaction of $4,273,535.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 36,726 shares in the company, valued at $3,456,283.86. This represents a 55.29 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.37% of the company’s stock.

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.