Avanza Fonder AB Has $7.50 Million Stake in Colgate-Palmolive Company $CL

Avanza Fonder AB boosted its holdings in Colgate-Palmolive Company (NYSE:CL) by 13.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 94,952 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 11,054 shares during the quarter. Avanza Fonder AB’s holdings in Colgate-Palmolive were worth $7,503,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Copia Wealth Management acquired a new position in Colgate-Palmolive during the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 86.1% in the second quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 335 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 155 shares during the last quarter. Cloud Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive in the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates boosted its position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 300.0% during the fourth quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 400 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 300 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Grove Bank & Trust boosted its position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 182.6% during the fourth quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 407 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 263 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.41% of the company’s stock.

Colgate-Palmolive Stock Down 0.1%

CL stock opened at $85.00 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $68.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.44, a P/E/G ratio of 3.81 and a beta of 0.28. The company has a current ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 18.82. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $91.07 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $83.37. Colgate-Palmolive Company has a 1-year low of $74.54 and a 1-year high of $99.33.

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) last announced its earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The company reported $0.95 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.91 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $5.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.13 billion. Colgate-Palmolive had a return on equity of 353.72% and a net margin of 10.45%.The business’s revenue was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.91 EPS. Analysts expect that Colgate-Palmolive Company will post 3.75 EPS for the current year.

Colgate-Palmolive Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on CL shares. Bank of America increased their price target on Colgate-Palmolive from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $86.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Sunday, February 1st. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Colgate-Palmolive in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $85.00 to $91.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Evercore boosted their price target 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 research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Colgate-Palmolive has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $94.75.

Insider Activity at Colgate-Palmolive

In other news, insider John Hazlin sold 20,989 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $94.25, for a total transaction of $1,978,213.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 17,645 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,663,041.25. This represents a 54.33% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Stanley J. Sutula III sold 97,843 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $94.27, for a total value of $9,223,659.61. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 55,310 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,214,073.70. The trade was a 63.89% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 184,683 shares of company stock worth $17,486,693. Insiders own 0.41% 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.