Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) Shares Sold by Aspire Private Capital LLC

Aspire Private Capital LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) by 6.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 2,498 shares of the company’s stock after selling 172 shares during the period. Aspire Private Capital LLC’s holdings in Colgate-Palmolive were worth $199,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in CL. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new position in Colgate-Palmolive in the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Avion Wealth increased its holdings in Colgate-Palmolive by 78.1% in the fourth quarter. Avion Wealth now owns 399 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 175 shares in the last quarter. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in Colgate-Palmolive in the fourth quarter valued at about $34,000. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in Colgate-Palmolive by 142.0% in the third quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 496 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 291 shares in the last quarter. Finally, West Branch Capital LLC increased its holdings in 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 buying an additional 132 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.41% of the company’s stock.

Colgate-Palmolive Trading Up 0.7 %

Shares of CL stock traded up $0.63 on Tuesday, reaching $88.96. 900,059 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,514,857. The stock has a market cap of $73.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.27 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.59. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $87.19 and a two-hundred day moving average of $81.06. Colgate-Palmolive has a 1-year low of $67.62 and a 1-year high of $90.37.

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 26th. The company reported $0.87 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.85 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $4.95 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.89 billion. Colgate-Palmolive had a return on equity of 509.75% and a net margin of 11.82%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.77 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Colgate-Palmolive will post 3.5 EPS for the current year.

Colgate-Palmolive Increases Dividend

The company 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 represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.25%. This is an increase from Colgate-Palmolive’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 19th. Colgate-Palmolive’s dividend payout ratio is presently 71.94%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $89.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $88.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 18th. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on shares of Colgate-Palmolive in a research note on Friday, March 1st. They set a “buy” rating and a $93.00 price objective for the company. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $80.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 29th. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $82.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, April 12th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $89.50.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director C Martin Harris sold 2,760 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $84.50, for a total transaction of $233,220.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 19,272 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,628,484. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, insider Jennifer Daniels sold 61,633 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $83.93, for a total transaction of $5,172,857.69. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 57,948 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,863,575.64. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director C Martin Harris sold 2,760 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $84.50, for a total transaction of $233,220.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 19,272 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,628,484. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 232,371 shares of company stock valued at $19,505,099. Company insiders own 0.37% 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.