Guyasuta Investment Advisors Inc. Reduces Holdings in Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL)

Guyasuta Investment Advisors Inc. reduced its holdings in shares of Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) by 1.0% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 53,539 shares of the company’s stock after selling 568 shares during the period. Guyasuta Investment Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Colgate-Palmolive were worth $4,268,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive during the third quarter worth about $25,000. Avion Wealth grew its holdings in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 78.1% during the fourth quarter. Avion Wealth now owns 399 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 175 shares in the last quarter. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive during the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 142.0% during the third quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 496 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 291 shares in the last quarter. Finally, West Branch Capital LLC grew its holdings in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 24.0% during the fourth quarter. West Branch Capital LLC now owns 682 shares of the company’s stock worth $54,000 after buying an additional 132 shares in the last quarter. 80.41% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Noel R. Wallace sold 50,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $83.15, for a total value of $4,157,500.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 274,179 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,797,983.85. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other Colgate-Palmolive news, CEO Noel R. Wallace sold 69,948 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $84.22, for a total transaction of $5,891,020.56. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 286,881 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $24,161,117.82. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Noel R. Wallace sold 50,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $83.15, for a total value of $4,157,500.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 274,179 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $22,797,983.85. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 232,371 shares of company stock worth $19,505,099 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.37% of the company’s stock.

Colgate-Palmolive Price Performance

NYSE CL traded down $0.73 on Monday, reaching $90.28. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,911,592 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,575,406. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $87.66 and its two-hundred day moving average is $81.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.59, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a current ratio of 0.42. The stock has a market cap of $74.21 billion, a PE ratio of 28.67, a PEG ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 0.42. Colgate-Palmolive has a twelve month low of $67.62 and a twelve month high of $92.25.

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 26th. The company reported $0.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.82 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $5.07 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.96 billion. Colgate-Palmolive had a return on equity of 485.40% and a net margin of 13.22%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.73 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Colgate-Palmolive will post 3.5 EPS for the current year.

Colgate-Palmolive Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 22nd will be issued a $0.50 dividend. This is an increase from Colgate-Palmolive’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 19th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.22%. Colgate-Palmolive’s dividend payout ratio is currently 63.29%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently commented on CL. TheStreet upgraded shares of Colgate-Palmolive from a “c+” rating to a “b+” rating in a report on Friday, January 26th. StockNews.com cut shares of Colgate-Palmolive from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 20th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $88.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Monday. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $93.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 29th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on shares of Colgate-Palmolive in a research note on Friday, March 1st. They set a “buy” rating and a $93.00 target price for the company. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $91.13.

Colgate-Palmolive Company Profile

Colgate-Palmolive Company, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells consumer products in the United States and internationally. It operates through two segments: Oral, Personal and Home Care; and Pet Nutrition. The Oral, Personal and Home Care segment offers toothpaste, toothbrushes, mouthwash, bar and liquid hand soaps, shower gels, shampoos, conditioners, deodorants and antiperspirants, skin health products, dishwashing detergents, fabric conditioners, household cleaners, and other related items.