Colgate-Palmolive Company $CL Shares Acquired by Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH grew its stake in Colgate-Palmolive Company (NYSE:CL) by 5.1% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 755,418 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 36,398 shares during the quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH’s holdings in Colgate-Palmolive were worth $60,138,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Maseco LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Copia Wealth Management acquired a new stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive in the third quarter valued at about $29,000. Cloud Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive in the third quarter valued at about $30,000. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates grew its position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 300.0% in the fourth quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 400 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares during the period. Finally, Grove Bank & Trust grew its position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 182.6% in the fourth quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 407 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 263 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.41% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on CL. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Colgate-Palmolive from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $90.00 to $98.00 in a research report on Monday, March 30th. 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 research report on Monday, February 2nd. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $102.00 price target on shares of Colgate-Palmolive in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $85.00 to $91.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted 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. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $95.88.

Insider Activity

In other Colgate-Palmolive news, insider Sally Massey sold 15,851 shares of Colgate-Palmolive stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 5th. The shares were 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. The trade was a 53.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, COO Panagiotis Tsourapas sold 35,000 shares of Colgate-Palmolive stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $94.61, for a total transaction of $3,311,350.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 10,415 shares in the company, valued at $985,363.15. This trade represents a 77.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 184,683 shares of company stock valued at $17,486,693 over the last three months. 0.43% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Colgate-Palmolive Price Performance

Shares of CL stock opened at $82.25 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 18.82, a current ratio of 0.83 and a quick ratio of 0.54. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $89.27 and its two-hundred day moving average is $83.82. Colgate-Palmolive Company has a 12 month low of $74.54 and a 12 month high of $99.33. The company has a market capitalization of $65.99 billion, a PE ratio of 31.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.17 and a beta of 0.34.

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) last issued its earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The company reported $0.95 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.91 by $0.04. Colgate-Palmolive had a net margin of 10.45% and a return on equity of 353.72%. The company had revenue of $5.23 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.13 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.91 earnings per share. Colgate-Palmolive’s quarterly revenue was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Colgate-Palmolive Company will post 3.87 earnings per share for the current year.

Colgate-Palmolive Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 20th will be paid a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.6%. This is a boost from Colgate-Palmolive’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 20th. Colgate-Palmolive’s payout ratio is presently 80.92%.

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.