Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) Shares Sold by Vicus Capital

Vicus Capital lowered its stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) by 7.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 167,950 shares of the company’s stock after selling 14,014 shares during the quarter. Colgate-Palmolive makes up approximately 1.3% of Vicus Capital’s holdings, making the stock its 20th largest position. Vicus Capital’s holdings in Colgate-Palmolive were worth $13,387,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in CL. Vest Financial LLC raised its stake in Colgate-Palmolive by 25.1% during the 4th quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 370,071 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,498,000 after acquiring an additional 74,337 shares in the last quarter. Central Bank & Trust Co. raised its stake in Colgate-Palmolive by 22.1% during the 4th quarter. Central Bank & Trust Co. now owns 1,383 shares of the company’s stock valued at $110,000 after acquiring an additional 250 shares in the last quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC raised its stake in Colgate-Palmolive by 9.2% during the 4th quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 10,808 shares of the company’s stock valued at $864,000 after acquiring an additional 910 shares in the last quarter. Sarasin & Partners LLP raised its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 49,980 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in 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 at Colgate-Palmolive

In other news, insider Jennifer Daniels sold 3,538 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 59,698 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,054,629.66. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, insider Jennifer Daniels sold 3,538 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 59,698 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,054,629.66. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at 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.

Analyst Ratings Changes

CL has been the topic of a number of research reports. Raymond James raised Colgate-Palmolive from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $91.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on Colgate-Palmolive in a research note on Friday, March 1st. They issued a “buy” rating and a $93.00 price objective on the stock. TheStreet raised Colgate-Palmolive from a “c+” rating to a “b+” rating in a research note on Friday, January 26th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on Colgate-Palmolive from $93.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 29th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Colgate-Palmolive from $80.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 29th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Colgate-Palmolive presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $89.50.

Colgate-Palmolive Stock Up 1.1 %

Shares of CL traded up $0.91 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $87.13. 6,005,071 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,627,129. Colgate-Palmolive has a 52 week low of $67.62 and a 52 week high of $90.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.59, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a current ratio of 1.11. The company has a market cap of $71.62 billion, a PE ratio of 31.34, a PEG ratio of 3.26 and a beta of 0.42. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $87.10 and its 200-day moving average is $80.78.

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 26th. The company reported $0.87 earnings per share 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 business had revenue of $4.95 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.89 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.77 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Colgate-Palmolive will post 3.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Colgate-Palmolive Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 22nd will be issued a $0.50 dividend. This is a boost from Colgate-Palmolive’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 19th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.30%. Colgate-Palmolive’s dividend payout ratio is 69.06%.

Colgate-Palmolive Company 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.