Wall Street Zen Upgrades Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) to Buy

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) was upgraded by investment analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued on Saturday.

A number of other research analysts also recently commented on CL. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Colgate-Palmolive from $93.00 to $97.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on Colgate-Palmolive from $85.00 to $91.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Evercore increased their target price on Colgate-Palmolive from $94.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Bank of America raised their price target on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Barclays upped their price target on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $83.00 to $88.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $94.75.

Colgate-Palmolive Price Performance

Shares of CL stock opened at $85.14 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $91.01 and a 200-day simple moving average of $83.37. The company has a market capitalization of $68.62 billion, a PE ratio of 32.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.83 and a beta of 0.28. Colgate-Palmolive has a twelve month low of $74.54 and a twelve month high of $99.33. The company has a current ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 18.82.

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 30th. The company reported $0.95 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.91 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $5.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.13 billion. Colgate-Palmolive had a net margin of 10.45% and a return on equity of 353.72%. The firm’s revenue was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.91 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Colgate-Palmolive will post 3.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider John Hazlin sold 20,989 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $94.25, for a total value of $1,978,213.25. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 17,645 shares in the company, valued at $1,663,041.25. This trade represents a 54.33% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, COO Panagiotis Tsourapas sold 35,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $94.61, for a total value of $3,311,350.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 10,415 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $985,363.15. This trade represents a 77.07% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 184,683 shares of company stock valued at $17,486,693. Corporate insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Colgate-Palmolive

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of CL. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 4.4% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 10,578 shares of the company’s stock worth $962,000 after acquiring an additional 450 shares during the period. Woodline Partners LP increased its stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 76.3% during the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 46,361 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,344,000 after acquiring an additional 20,062 shares during the period. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. increased its stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 2.0% during the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 12,494 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,136,000 after acquiring an additional 245 shares during the period. Handelsbanken Fonder AB raised its holdings in Colgate-Palmolive by 9.9% during the second quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 352,436 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,036,000 after purchasing an additional 31,825 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Swiss National Bank lifted its position in Colgate-Palmolive by 6.5% in the second quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 2,332,400 shares of the company’s stock worth $212,015,000 after purchasing an additional 143,300 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.41% of the company’s stock.

Colgate-Palmolive Company Profile

Colgate-Palmolive Company is a global consumer products company with a long history in household and personal care categories. The business traces its roots to the early 19th century and has evolved into a multinational manufacturer and marketer of everyday consumer goods focused on health, hygiene and home care.

The company’s core activities center on oral care, personal care, home care and pet nutrition. Its product portfolio includes toothpaste, toothbrushes and mouthwash in oral care; soaps, body washes and deodorants in personal care; dishwashing liquids, surface cleaners and other household products in home care; and scientifically formulated pet foods under its pet nutrition business.