Pacer Advisors Inc. Increases Position in Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL)

Pacer Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) by 55.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 117,244 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 41,731 shares during the quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Colgate-Palmolive were worth $9,346,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive during the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Quarry LP raised its holdings in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 48.2% during the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 446 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 145 shares during the last quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 142.0% in the third quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 496 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 291 shares in the last quarter. West Tower Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive in the second quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, McCarthy Grittinger Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive during the third quarter worth approximately $37,000. 80.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Colgate-Palmolive Stock Up 1.2 %

Colgate-Palmolive stock opened at $89.96 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $74.05 billion, a PE ratio of 32.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.37 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.59, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a current ratio of 1.11. Colgate-Palmolive has a fifty-two week low of $67.62 and a fifty-two week high of $90.27. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $85.34 and a 200 day moving average price of $78.98.

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 26th. The company reported $0.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.85 by $0.02. Colgate-Palmolive had a return on equity of 509.75% and a net margin of 11.82%. The firm had revenue of $4.95 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.89 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.77 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that Colgate-Palmolive will post 3.49 earnings per share for the current year.

Colgate-Palmolive Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 22nd will be paid a $0.50 dividend. This is a positive change from Colgate-Palmolive’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 19th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.22%. Colgate-Palmolive’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 69.06%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $93.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 29th. Raymond James raised shares of Colgate-Palmolive from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $91.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Monday, January 29th. Bank of America raised shares of Colgate-Palmolive from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $90.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 15th. TheStreet raised Colgate-Palmolive from a “c+” rating to a “b+” rating in a report on Friday, January 26th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Colgate-Palmolive from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 20th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $87.31.

Insider Activity at Colgate-Palmolive

In other news, CEO Noel R. Wallace sold 50,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $83.15, for a total transaction of $4,157,500.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 274,179 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $22,797,983.85. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, CEO Noel R. Wallace sold 69,948 shares of Colgate-Palmolive stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $84.22, for a total value of $5,891,020.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 286,881 shares in the company, valued at $24,161,117.82. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Noel R. Wallace sold 50,000 shares of the business’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 transaction of $4,157,500.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now 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. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 232,371 shares of company stock worth $19,505,099. Corporate insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

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.