First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. Acquires 6,033 Shares of Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL)

First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. increased its holdings in Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) by 24.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 30,218 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 6,033 shares during the quarter. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P.’s holdings in Colgate-Palmolive were worth $2,409,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. &PARTNERS raised its holdings in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. &PARTNERS now owns 17,643 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,406,000 after acquiring an additional 129 shares in the last quarter. West Branch Capital LLC raised its holdings in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 24.0% in the fourth quarter. West Branch Capital LLC now owns 682 shares of the company’s stock valued at $54,000 after acquiring an additional 132 shares in the last quarter. First Foundation Advisors raised its holdings in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 2.7% in the third quarter. First Foundation Advisors now owns 5,226 shares of the company’s stock valued at $372,000 after acquiring an additional 136 shares in the last quarter. Waldron Private Wealth LLC grew its stake in Colgate-Palmolive by 2.7% in the third quarter. Waldron Private Wealth LLC now owns 5,361 shares of the company’s stock valued at $381,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Autumn Glory Partners LLC grew its stake in Colgate-Palmolive by 2.7% in the fourth quarter. Autumn Glory Partners LLC now owns 5,319 shares of the company’s stock valued at $424,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares during the last quarter. 80.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Colgate-Palmolive from $90.00 to $92.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday. Citigroup boosted their price target on Colgate-Palmolive from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Colgate-Palmolive from $88.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 18th. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on Colgate-Palmolive in a research note on Friday, March 1st. They set a “buy” rating and a $93.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on Colgate-Palmolive from $88.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Monday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $91.44.

Colgate-Palmolive Price Performance

Shares of CL stock traded up $0.02 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $91.92. 436,720 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,573,787. The company has a quick ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 13.21. The firm has a market cap of $75.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.08, a P/E/G ratio of 3.39 and a beta of 0.40. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $88.08 and a two-hundred day moving average of $81.99. Colgate-Palmolive has a fifty-two week low of $67.62 and a fifty-two week high of $92.54.

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 26th. The company reported $0.86 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.82 by $0.04. Colgate-Palmolive had a return on equity of 485.40% and a net margin of 13.22%. The firm had revenue of $5.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.96 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.73 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that Colgate-Palmolive will post 3.52 EPS for the current year.

Colgate-Palmolive Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Investors of record on Monday, April 22nd will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.18%. This is a boost from Colgate-Palmolive’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 19th. Colgate-Palmolive’s payout ratio is presently 63.29%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Colgate-Palmolive news, insider Jennifer Daniels sold 5,790 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $83.96, for a total value of $486,128.40. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 63,236 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,309,294.56. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other Colgate-Palmolive news, insider Jennifer Daniels sold 5,790 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $83.96, for a total value of $486,128.40. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 63,236 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,309,294.56. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Noel R. Wallace sold 50,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $83.15, for a total value of $4,157,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 274,179 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $22,797,983.85. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 159,048 shares of company stock worth $13,336,846. 0.34% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Colgate-Palmolive 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.