Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) Stock Holdings Lifted by Merit Financial Group LLC

Merit Financial Group LLC lifted its position in Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) by 9.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 9,129 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 825 shares during the quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Colgate-Palmolive were worth $728,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in CL. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new position in Colgate-Palmolive during the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Avion Wealth raised its holdings in Colgate-Palmolive by 78.1% in the 4th quarter. Avion Wealth now owns 399 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 175 shares during the period. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in Colgate-Palmolive during the 4th quarter worth $34,000. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in Colgate-Palmolive by 142.0% during the third quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 496 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 291 shares during the period. Finally, West Branch Capital LLC grew its position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 24.0% in the fourth quarter. West Branch Capital LLC now owns 682 shares of the company’s stock valued at $54,000 after purchasing an additional 132 shares during the last quarter. 80.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. Bank of America increased their target price on Colgate-Palmolive from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 29th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $88.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Monday, April 29th. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $84.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 30th. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective 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. Finally, TheStreet upgraded shares of Colgate-Palmolive from a “c+” rating to a “b+” rating in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $91.44.

Colgate-Palmolive Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE:CL opened at $93.18 on Tuesday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $88.49 and its 200-day moving average is $82.49. 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 has a 52 week low of $67.62 and a 52 week high of $93.30. The company has a market capitalization of $76.45 billion, a PE ratio of 29.49, a P/E/G ratio of 3.43 and a beta of 0.40.

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

Colgate-Palmolive Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Investors of record on Monday, April 22nd will be issued a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.15%. This is a boost from Colgate-Palmolive’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 19th. Colgate-Palmolive’s payout ratio is currently 63.29%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Colgate-Palmolive

In other Colgate-Palmolive news, CEO Noel R. Wallace sold 69,948 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $84.22, for a total transaction of $5,891,020.56. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 286,881 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $24,161,117.82. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other Colgate-Palmolive news, CEO Noel R. Wallace sold 50,000 shares of the firm’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 transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 274,179 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $22,797,983.85. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Noel R. Wallace sold 69,948 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the chief executive officer now 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. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 159,048 shares of company stock worth $13,336,846. 0.37% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.