Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) Raised to Buy at StockNews.com

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) was upgraded by equities research analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday.

A number of other brokerages have also recently issued reports on CL. Hsbc Global Res cut Colgate-Palmolive from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded Colgate-Palmolive from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $103.00 to $95.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Colgate-Palmolive from $100.00 to $92.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, October 28th. Bank of America lifted their price target on Colgate-Palmolive from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 10th. Finally, HSBC reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Colgate-Palmolive in a research report on Friday, July 26th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $105.11.

Colgate-Palmolive Stock Up 1.1 %

Shares of CL stock traded up $0.98 on Wednesday, hitting $91.75. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 421,578 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,359,405. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 9.46, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 0.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $74.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.29, a P/E/G ratio of 3.34 and a beta of 0.42. Colgate-Palmolive has a fifty-two week low of $74.67 and a fifty-two week high of $109.30. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $101.49 and its 200-day moving average price is $98.39.

Insider Activity

In other Colgate-Palmolive news, CFO Stanley J. Sutula III sold 45,410 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $94.11, for a total value of $4,273,535.10. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 36,726 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,456,283.86. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Colgate-Palmolive news, CFO Stanley J. Sutula III sold 45,410 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $94.11, for a total transaction of $4,273,535.10. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 36,726 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,456,283.86. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Martina Hundmejean sold 2,313 shares of Colgate-Palmolive stock in a transaction on Friday, August 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.86, for a total transaction of $240,228.18. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 11,755 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,220,874.30. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Colgate-Palmolive

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CL. Main Street Research LLC boosted its position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 1.5% during the second quarter. Main Street Research LLC now owns 6,939 shares of the company’s stock worth $673,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. Advisor OS LLC boosted its position in Colgate-Palmolive by 4.5% during the 2nd quarter. Advisor OS LLC now owns 2,348 shares of the company’s stock worth $228,000 after acquiring an additional 101 shares during the last quarter. BLB&B Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 2.5% during the 2nd quarter. BLB&B Advisors LLC now owns 4,337 shares of the company’s stock worth $421,000 after acquiring an additional 104 shares in the last quarter. D Orazio & Associates Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 3.9% in the third quarter. D Orazio & Associates Inc. now owns 2,862 shares of the company’s stock valued at $297,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. Finally, ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. lifted its position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 3.1% in the second quarter. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 3,591 shares of the company’s stock worth $349,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. 80.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.