Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) Shares Sold by Northcape Capital Pty Ltd

Northcape Capital Pty Ltd lessened its stake in Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) by 16.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 14,362 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,759 shares during the period. Colgate-Palmolive accounts for 0.1% of Northcape Capital Pty Ltd’s portfolio, making the stock its 25th biggest holding. Northcape Capital Pty Ltd’s holdings in Colgate-Palmolive were worth $1,145,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive in the third quarter valued at $25,000. Quarry LP lifted its holdings in Colgate-Palmolive by 48.2% in the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 446 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 145 shares during the last quarter. West Tower Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive during the 2nd quarter valued at about $36,000. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 142.0% in the 3rd quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 496 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 291 shares during the last quarter. Finally, McCarthy Grittinger Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in Colgate-Palmolive during the third quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.41% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. TheStreet raised Colgate-Palmolive from a “c+” rating to a “b+” rating in a report on Friday, January 26th. 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. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $93.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 29th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $80.00 to $88.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, January 29th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of Colgate-Palmolive from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 20th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $87.31.

Colgate-Palmolive Stock Performance

CL stock traded up $0.13 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $90.08. 801,094 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,650,989. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $85.34 and a 200-day simple moving average of $78.98. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.59. Colgate-Palmolive has a twelve month low of $67.62 and a twelve month high of $90.37. The stock has a market capitalization of $74.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.38 and a beta of 0.42.

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 26th. The company reported $0.87 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.85 by $0.02. Colgate-Palmolive had a return on equity of 509.75% and a net margin of 11.82%. The company had revenue of $4.95 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.89 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.77 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Colgate-Palmolive will post 3.49 earnings per share for the current year.

Colgate-Palmolive Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Investors of record on Monday, April 22nd will be paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.22%. This is a positive change from Colgate-Palmolive’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 19th. Colgate-Palmolive’s payout ratio is currently 69.06%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Colgate-Palmolive

In related news, insider Jennifer Daniels sold 3,538 shares of the firm’s 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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 59,698 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,054,629.66. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Colgate-Palmolive news, insider Jennifer Daniels sold 3,538 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $84.67, for a total transaction of $299,562.46. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 59,698 shares in the company, valued at $5,054,629.66. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Noel R. Wallace sold 50,000 shares of the company’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 in the company, 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 valued at $19,505,099 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.34% 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.