Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Invests $29.52 Million in Colgate-Palmolive Company $CL

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive Company (NYSE:CL) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 373,563 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $29,519,000.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC now owns 15,877 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,255,000 after buying an additional 109 shares during the period. Sunpointe LLC boosted its position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 4.0% in the fourth quarter. Sunpointe LLC now owns 3,056 shares of the company’s stock worth $241,000 after buying an additional 117 shares during the period. Capital Advisors Inc. OK boosted its position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. Capital Advisors Inc. OK now owns 9,595 shares of the company’s stock worth $758,000 after buying an additional 129 shares during the period. Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 4.5% in the third quarter. Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,015 shares of the company’s stock worth $241,000 after buying an additional 130 shares during the period. Finally, Eads & Heald Wealth Management boosted its position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Eads & Heald Wealth Management now owns 20,744 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,639,000 after buying an additional 132 shares during the period. 80.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Colgate-Palmolive Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:CL opened at $90.66 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 16.33. Colgate-Palmolive Company has a 1 year low of $74.54 and a 1 year high of $99.33. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $86.11 and a 200 day simple moving average of $85.15. The firm has a market cap of $72.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.28, a P/E/G ratio of 4.71 and a beta of 0.31.

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 1st. The company reported $0.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.94 by $0.03. Colgate-Palmolive had a return on equity of 386.76% and a net margin of 10.04%.The business had revenue of $5.32 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.22 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.91 earnings per share. Colgate-Palmolive’s quarterly revenue was up 8.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Colgate-Palmolive Company will post 3.82 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Colgate-Palmolive Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors of record on Monday, April 20th were issued a dividend of $0.53 per share. This is a positive change from Colgate-Palmolive’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, April 20th. Colgate-Palmolive’s dividend payout ratio is 82.49%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently commented on CL shares. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $100.00 target price on Colgate-Palmolive and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on Colgate-Palmolive from $85.00 to $91.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Weiss Ratings raised Colgate-Palmolive from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Colgate-Palmolive from $95.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Bank of America decreased their target price on Colgate-Palmolive from $105.00 to $102.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $95.88.

Colgate-Palmolive 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.