E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB Sells 6,200 Shares of Colgate-Palmolive Company $CL

E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB lowered its position in Colgate-Palmolive Company (NYSE:CL) by 1.3% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 465,529 shares of the company’s stock after selling 6,200 shares during the quarter. Colgate-Palmolive comprises approximately 0.9% of E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest holding. E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB’s holdings in Colgate-Palmolive were worth $36,786,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC increased its stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 4.4% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 10,578 shares of the company’s stock valued at $962,000 after buying an additional 450 shares during the period. Woodline Partners LP lifted its stake in Colgate-Palmolive by 76.3% in the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 46,361 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,344,000 after acquiring an additional 20,062 shares during the period. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. grew its holdings in Colgate-Palmolive by 2.0% during the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 12,494 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,136,000 after acquiring an additional 245 shares in the last quarter. AlphaCore Capital LLC grew its holdings in Colgate-Palmolive by 22.9% during the 2nd quarter. AlphaCore Capital LLC now owns 8,506 shares of the company’s stock worth $773,000 after acquiring an additional 1,587 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in Colgate-Palmolive by 1.5% during the 2nd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,831,484 shares of the company’s stock valued at $439,182,000 after purchasing an additional 72,349 shares during the period. 80.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on CL shares. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $87.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price objective on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $83.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $100.00 target price on shares of Colgate-Palmolive in a report on Friday, February 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised Colgate-Palmolive from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $88.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, December 9th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Colgate-Palmolive in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Colgate-Palmolive currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $94.75.

Colgate-Palmolive Trading Down 0.1%

NYSE CL opened at $85.00 on Tuesday. Colgate-Palmolive Company has a 52 week low of $74.54 and a 52 week high of $99.33. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $91.07 and a 200 day moving average price of $83.37. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 18.82. The firm has a market cap of $68.52 billion, a PE ratio of 32.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.81 and a beta of 0.28.

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

Colgate-Palmolive Increases Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Sally Massey sold 15,851 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the insider directly owned 13,751 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,306,757.53. This represents a 53.55% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Stanley J. Sutula III sold 97,843 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief financial officer owned 55,310 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,214,073.70. This trade represents a 63.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 184,683 shares of company stock valued at $17,486,693 in the last 90 days. Corporate 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.