Aberdeen Group plc Sells 40,448 Shares of Colgate-Palmolive Company $CL

Aberdeen Group plc cut its holdings in Colgate-Palmolive Company (NYSE:CL) by 6.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 579,469 shares of the company’s stock after selling 40,448 shares during the quarter. Aberdeen Group plc owned approximately 0.07% of Colgate-Palmolive worth $45,790,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of CL. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its position 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 purchasing an additional 450 shares in the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP increased its position in Colgate-Palmolive by 76.3% during the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 46,361 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,344,000 after buying an additional 20,062 shares in the last quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. increased its position in Colgate-Palmolive by 2.0% during the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 12,494 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,136,000 after buying an additional 245 shares in the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new position in Colgate-Palmolive during the second quarter valued at $690,000. Finally, Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Colgate-Palmolive in the second quarter worth $44,000. 80.41% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Colgate-Palmolive

In other news, CFO Stanley J. Sutula III sold 97,843 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $94.27, for a total transaction of $9,223,659.61. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 55,310 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,214,073.70. This represents a 63.89% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Sally Massey sold 15,851 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.03, for a total transaction of $1,506,320.53. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 13,751 shares in the company, valued at $1,306,757.53. This trade represents a 53.55% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 184,683 shares of company stock worth $17,486,693 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on CL shares. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Colgate-Palmolive from $87.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $83.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $100.00 price objective on shares of Colgate-Palmolive in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Colgate-Palmolive from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, March 29th. Finally, Evercore lifted their target price on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $94.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $95.19.

Colgate-Palmolive Stock Down 0.1%

CL opened at $85.04 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $68.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.46, a PEG ratio of 3.91 and a beta of 0.34. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $91.10 and a 200-day moving average price of $83.46. Colgate-Palmolive Company has a twelve month low of $74.54 and a twelve month high of $99.33. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 18.82.

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

Colgate-Palmolive Increases Dividend

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

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.