AJOVista LLC Acquires New Holdings in Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL)

AJOVista LLC bought a new stake in Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 724 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $58,000.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of CL. Vest Financial LLC grew its position in Colgate-Palmolive by 25.1% during 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 in the last quarter. Central Bank & Trust Co. lifted its position in 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 buying an additional 250 shares in the last quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC lifted its position in 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 buying an additional 910 shares in the last quarter. Sarasin & Partners LLP boosted its stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Sarasin & Partners LLP now owns 4,053,634 shares of the company’s stock valued at $323,115,000 after buying an additional 49,980 shares during the period. Finally, Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC now owns 7,170 shares of the company’s stock valued at $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 Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Noel R. Wallace sold 50,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $83.15, for a total transaction 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, CEO Noel R. Wallace sold 50,000 shares of Colgate-Palmolive 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 directly owns 274,179 shares in the company, valued at $22,797,983.85. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Jennifer Daniels sold 5,790 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $83.96, for a total value of $486,128.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 63,236 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,309,294.56. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 159,048 shares of company stock worth $13,336,846. Corporate insiders own 0.37% of the company’s stock.

Colgate-Palmolive Stock Up 0.2 %

Colgate-Palmolive stock opened at $93.08 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $76.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.39, a PEG ratio of 3.43 and a beta of 0.40. Colgate-Palmolive has a 52-week low of $67.62 and a 52-week high of $93.25. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $88.35 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $82.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 13.21, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a current ratio of 1.06.

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 26th. The company reported $0.86 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.82 by $0.04. Colgate-Palmolive had a net margin of 13.22% and a return on equity of 485.40%. The business had revenue of $5.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.96 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.73 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Colgate-Palmolive will post 3.52 EPS for the current year.

Colgate-Palmolive Increases Dividend

The firm 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 is a positive change from Colgate-Palmolive’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 19th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.15%. Colgate-Palmolive’s payout ratio is presently 63.29%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Barclays raised their price target on Colgate-Palmolive from $84.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 30th. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, April 29th. TheStreet upgraded shares of Colgate-Palmolive from a “c+” rating to a “b+” rating in a report on Friday, January 26th. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $93.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 29th. Finally, Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $91.44.

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.