Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) Given New $95.00 Price Target at Stifel Nicolaus

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) had its price objective raised by Stifel Nicolaus from $94.00 to $95.00 in a report issued on Monday, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a buy rating on the stock.

A number of other research analysts have also recently commented on CL. TheStreet raised Colgate-Palmolive from a c+ rating to a b+ rating in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $80.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a report on Monday, January 29th. Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Monday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted 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. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $85.00 to $93.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Monday, January 29th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Colgate-Palmolive presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $91.38.

Colgate-Palmolive Stock Performance

Shares of CL stock opened at $90.49 on Monday. Colgate-Palmolive has a one year low of $67.62 and a one year high of $92.25. The company has a market cap of $74.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.64, a P/E/G ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 0.42. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $87.80 and a 200-day moving average of $81.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.59, a current ratio of 0.42 and a quick ratio of 0.28.

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 26th. The company reported $0.86 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.82 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $5.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.96 billion. Colgate-Palmolive had a return on equity of 485.40% and a net margin of 13.22%. The business’s revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.73 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that Colgate-Palmolive will post 3.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Colgate-Palmolive Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 22nd will be paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. This is an increase from Colgate-Palmolive’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.21%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 19th. Colgate-Palmolive’s payout ratio is currently 63.29%.

Insider Activity at Colgate-Palmolive

In other news, insider Jennifer Daniels sold 61,633 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $83.93, for a total value of $5,172,857.69. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 57,948 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,863,575.64. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, Director C Martin Harris sold 2,760 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $84.50, for a total transaction of $233,220.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 19,272 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,628,484. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Jennifer Daniels sold 61,633 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $83.93, for a total transaction of $5,172,857.69. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 57,948 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,863,575.64. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 232,371 shares of company stock worth $19,505,099. 0.37% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Colgate-Palmolive

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in CL. Union Savings Bank lifted its holdings in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 76.6% in the 4th quarter. Union Savings Bank now owns 309 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 134 shares during the last quarter. PSI Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 4,971.4% in the 1st quarter. PSI Advisors LLC now owns 355 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 348 shares during the last quarter. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Avion Wealth increased its position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 78.1% during the 4th quarter. Avion Wealth now owns 399 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 175 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Colgate-Palmolive during the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. 80.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Colgate-Palmolive

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.