Colgate-Palmolive Company $CL Stock Position Raised by Merit Financial Group LLC

Merit Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Colgate-Palmolive Company (NYSE:CL) by 29.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 43,797 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 10,007 shares during the period. Merit Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Colgate-Palmolive were worth $3,461,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of CL. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in Colgate-Palmolive by 4.4% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 10,578 shares of the company’s stock valued at $962,000 after purchasing an additional 450 shares during the period. Woodline Partners LP boosted its stake 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 purchasing an additional 20,062 shares during the period. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. boosted its stake 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 purchasing an additional 245 shares during the period. Nebula Research & Development LLC boosted its stake in Colgate-Palmolive by 165.5% during the 2nd quarter. Nebula Research & Development LLC now owns 10,326 shares of the company’s stock valued at $939,000 after purchasing an additional 6,437 shares during the period. Finally, Sei Investments Co. boosted its stake in Colgate-Palmolive by 21.7% during the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 657,093 shares of the company’s stock valued at $59,732,000 after purchasing an additional 116,968 shares during the period. 80.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Colgate-Palmolive

In other news, insider Sally Massey sold 15,851 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.03, for a total value of $1,506,320.53. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 13,751 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,306,757.53. This represents a 53.55% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Stanley J. Sutula III sold 97,843 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 55,310 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,214,073.70. This represents a 63.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 184,683 shares of company stock valued at $17,486,693. 0.43% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. TD Cowen reissued a “hold” rating and set a $85.00 target price on shares of Colgate-Palmolive in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. UBS Group reduced their target price on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $100.00 to $98.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $100.00 target price on shares of Colgate-Palmolive in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Evercore upped their price target on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $94.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $95.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Eleven equities research 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.com, Colgate-Palmolive presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $95.44.

Colgate-Palmolive Trading Up 0.0%

Shares of NYSE:CL opened at $85.83 on Monday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $89.99 and a 200-day moving average of $83.77. The firm has a market cap of $68.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.76, a P/E/G ratio of 4.28 and a beta of 0.34. Colgate-Palmolive Company 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 results on Friday, January 30th. The company reported $0.95 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.91 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $5.23 billion during 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 business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.91 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Colgate-Palmolive Company will post 3.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Colgate-Palmolive Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 20th will be paid a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 20th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.5%. This is an increase from Colgate-Palmolive’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. Colgate-Palmolive’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 79.39%.

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.