Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” from Analysts

Shares of Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) have earned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the twenty-one brokerages that are covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, nine have assigned a hold recommendation and eleven have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $102.17.

CL has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $95.00 to $93.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $99.00 to $95.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Raymond James reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $105.00 price objective (down from $110.00) on shares of Colgate-Palmolive in a report on Monday, February 3rd. TD Cowen reduced their target price on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $110.00 to $100.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Colgate-Palmolive from $83.00 to $88.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd.

Colgate-Palmolive Stock Down 0.8 %

Shares of CL stock opened at $94.73 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 13.40, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a current ratio of 0.92. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $91.47 and its 200-day moving average is $92.28. Colgate-Palmolive has a 52-week low of $85.32 and a 52-week high of $109.30. The stock has a market cap of $76.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.91, a PEG ratio of 4.20 and a beta of 0.40.

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $0.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.90 by $0.01. Colgate-Palmolive had a net margin of 14.38% and a return on equity of 477.77%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.87 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Colgate-Palmolive will post 3.75 EPS for the current year.

Colgate-Palmolive announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback plan on Thursday, March 20th that permits the company to buyback $5.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to purchase up to 6.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are generally a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Colgate-Palmolive Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 17th will be issued a $0.52 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 17th. This is a positive change from Colgate-Palmolive’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.20%. Colgate-Palmolive’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 59.09%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Colgate-Palmolive

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive in the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Centricity Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA bought a new position in Colgate-Palmolive during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Briaud Financial Planning Inc bought a new stake in Colgate-Palmolive in the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Institutional investors own 80.41% of the company’s stock.

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.