Simplicity Solutions LLC Buys 4,820 Shares of Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL)

Simplicity Solutions LLC raised its stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) by 26.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 22,953 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,820 shares during the period. Simplicity Solutions LLC’s holdings in Colgate-Palmolive were worth $1,830,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Graypoint LLC lifted its stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 41.8% in the 4th quarter. Graypoint LLC now owns 5,572 shares of the company’s stock worth $444,000 after purchasing an additional 1,642 shares during the period. Vaughan David Investments LLC IL grew its holdings in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 2.7% in the fourth quarter. Vaughan David Investments LLC IL now owns 8,232 shares of the company’s stock valued at $656,000 after purchasing an additional 216 shares in the last quarter. Clarius Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 8.0% in the fourth quarter. Clarius Group LLC now owns 5,497 shares of the company’s stock valued at $438,000 after purchasing an additional 407 shares in the last quarter. Essex LLC purchased a new position in Colgate-Palmolive during the fourth quarter worth $211,000. Finally, Perigon Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Colgate-Palmolive by 11.2% during the fourth quarter. Perigon Wealth Management LLC now owns 38,832 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,095,000 after buying an additional 3,900 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 80.41% of the company’s stock.

Colgate-Palmolive Stock Down 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE:CL opened at $85.85 on Monday. 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 business has a fifty day moving average of $86.83 and a two-hundred day moving average of $80.37. The stock has a market cap of $70.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.88, a PEG ratio of 3.26 and a beta of 0.42. Colgate-Palmolive has a 52-week low of $67.62 and a 52-week high of $90.37.

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) last issued its earnings results on Friday, January 26th. The company reported $0.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.85 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $4.95 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.89 billion. Colgate-Palmolive had a return on equity of 509.75% and a net margin of 11.82%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.77 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Colgate-Palmolive will post 3.49 earnings per share for the current year.

Colgate-Palmolive Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 19th. This is a boost from Colgate-Palmolive’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.33%. Colgate-Palmolive’s dividend payout ratio is currently 71.94%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently weighed in on CL. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Colgate-Palmolive from $88.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 18th. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on Colgate-Palmolive in a research report on Friday, March 1st. They set a “buy” rating and a $93.00 target price for the company. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Colgate-Palmolive from $85.00 to $93.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, January 29th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on Colgate-Palmolive from $89.00 to $94.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Finally, TheStreet upgraded Colgate-Palmolive from a “c+” rating to a “b+” rating in a report on Friday, January 26th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $88.56.

Insider Transactions at Colgate-Palmolive

In other news, insider Jennifer Daniels sold 3,538 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $84.67, for a total transaction of $299,562.46. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 59,698 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,054,629.66. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, insider Jennifer Daniels sold 3,538 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $84.67, for a total transaction of $299,562.46. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 59,698 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,054,629.66. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Noel R. Wallace sold 69,948 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 286,881 shares in the company, valued at approximately $24,161,117.82. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 232,371 shares of company stock worth $19,505,099. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.