Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) Upgraded by Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft to Buy Rating

Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday, MarketBeat.com reports. They currently have $98.00 price objective on the stock, up from their prior price objective of $90.00.

Several other research analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $93.00 price target on shares of Colgate-Palmolive in a research report on Friday, February 13th. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $90.00 to $93.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $87.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Royal Bank Of Canada raised shares of Colgate-Palmolive from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $88.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, December 9th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Colgate-Palmolive from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Colgate-Palmolive presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $95.25.

Colgate-Palmolive Trading Up 1.5%

CL stock opened at $85.59 on Monday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $91.13 and a 200 day moving average price of $83.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 18.82, a current ratio of 0.83 and a quick ratio of 0.54. Colgate-Palmolive has a fifty-two week low of $74.54 and a fifty-two week high of $99.33. The stock has a market capitalization of $68.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.67, a P/E/G ratio of 3.78 and a beta of 0.28.

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) last posted 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. Colgate-Palmolive had a return on equity of 353.72% and a net margin of 10.45%.The company had revenue of $5.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.13 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.91 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that Colgate-Palmolive will post 3.75 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Colgate-Palmolive Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 20th will be given a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 20th. This is a boost from Colgate-Palmolive’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. Colgate-Palmolive’s dividend payout ratio is currently 79.39%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Colgate-Palmolive

In other news, insider Sally Massey sold 15,851 shares of Colgate-Palmolive stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.03, for a total transaction of $1,506,320.53. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 13,751 shares in the company, valued at $1,306,757.53. The trade was a 53.55% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, COO Panagiotis Tsourapas sold 35,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $94.61, for a total transaction of $3,311,350.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 10,415 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $985,363.15. This trade represents a 77.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 184,683 shares of company stock worth $17,486,693 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.41% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Colgate-Palmolive

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CL. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 83,947,987 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,633,570,000 after acquiring an additional 1,026,985 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Colgate-Palmolive by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 22,103,901 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,754,657,000 after purchasing an additional 304,426 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley grew its holdings in Colgate-Palmolive by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 19,246,217 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,520,836,000 after purchasing an additional 323,367 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Colgate-Palmolive in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $861,670,000. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG increased its stake in Colgate-Palmolive by 33.9% in the fourth quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 10,845,857 shares of the company’s stock valued at $857,040,000 after purchasing an additional 2,746,920 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.41% of the company’s stock.

About Colgate-Palmolive

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.