National Pension Service Raises Stake in Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL)

National Pension Service increased its position in Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) by 2.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,533,553 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 38,353 shares during the quarter. National Pension Service owned about 0.19% of Colgate-Palmolive worth $122,240,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vest Financial LLC increased its stake in Colgate-Palmolive by 25.1% in the 4th quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 370,071 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,498,000 after acquiring an additional 74,337 shares during the last quarter. Central Bank & Trust Co. lifted its stake in Colgate-Palmolive by 22.1% during the fourth quarter. Central Bank & Trust Co. now owns 1,383 shares of the company’s stock worth $110,000 after purchasing an additional 250 shares during the last quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC increased its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 910 shares during the last quarter. Sarasin & Partners LLP lifted its position in Colgate-Palmolive by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Sarasin & Partners LLP now owns 4,053,634 shares of the company’s stock worth $323,115,000 after buying an additional 49,980 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Colgate-Palmolive by 2.5% during the fourth 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 during the last quarter. 80.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Colgate-Palmolive Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:CL traded down $0.60 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $93.48. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 7,252,082 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,695,009. The company has a 50-day moving average of $88.64 and a 200-day moving average of $82.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 13.21, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 0.70. The firm has a market cap of $76.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.58, a P/E/G ratio of 3.43 and a beta of 0.40. Colgate-Palmolive has a 12 month low of $67.62 and a 12 month high of $94.40.

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) last released its earnings results on Friday, April 26th. The company reported $0.86 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.82 by $0.04. Colgate-Palmolive had a return on equity of 485.40% and a net margin of 13.22%. The company had revenue of $5.07 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.96 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.73 earnings per share. Colgate-Palmolive’s quarterly revenue was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Colgate-Palmolive will post 3.52 earnings per share 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 given a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.14%. This is an increase 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 presently 63.29%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

CL has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Raymond James upgraded shares of Colgate-Palmolive from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $91.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 29th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $88.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Monday, April 29th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on shares of Colgate-Palmolive in a report on Friday, March 1st. They issued a “buy” rating and a $93.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $84.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 30th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $91.44.

Insider Transactions at Colgate-Palmolive

In other news, insider Jennifer Daniels sold 5,790 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $83.96, for a total value of $486,128.40. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 63,236 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,309,294.56. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In related news, insider Jennifer Daniels sold 5,790 shares of the business’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 sale, the insider now directly owns 63,236 shares in the company, valued at $5,309,294.56. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Noel R. Wallace sold 69,948 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $84.22, for a total value of $5,891,020.56. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 286,881 shares in the company, valued at $24,161,117.82. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 159,048 shares of company stock valued at $13,336,846 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

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.