Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) Holdings Lifted by Kovack Advisors Inc.

Kovack Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) by 22.3% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 4,745 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 865 shares during the period. Kovack Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Colgate-Palmolive were worth $427,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vest Financial LLC grew its position in Colgate-Palmolive by 25.1% during the fourth quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 370,071 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,498,000 after purchasing an additional 74,337 shares in the last quarter. Central Bank & Trust Co. raised its holdings in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 22.1% during the fourth quarter. Central Bank & Trust Co. now owns 1,383 shares of the company’s stock worth $110,000 after acquiring an additional 250 shares in the last quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC boosted its position in Colgate-Palmolive by 9.2% during the fourth quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 10,808 shares of the company’s stock valued at $864,000 after purchasing an additional 910 shares during the last quarter. Sarasin & Partners LLP lifted its holdings in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Sarasin & Partners LLP now owns 4,053,634 shares of the company’s stock valued at $323,115,000 after buying an additional 49,980 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Colgate-Palmolive by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC now owns 7,170 shares of the company’s stock worth $571,000 after purchasing an additional 172 shares in the last quarter. 80.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Colgate-Palmolive Price Performance

Shares of NYSE CL traded down $0.23 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $95.89. 2,114,672 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,069,581. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $94.17 and its 200-day simple moving average is $87.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 13.21, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a current ratio of 1.06. Colgate-Palmolive has a 12 month low of $67.62 and a 12 month high of $99.08. The firm has a market cap of $78.67 billion, a PE ratio of 30.35, a PEG ratio of 3.54 and a beta of 0.39.

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 26th. The company reported $0.86 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.82 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $5.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.96 billion. Colgate-Palmolive had a net margin of 13.22% and a return on equity of 485.40%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.73 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Colgate-Palmolive will post 3.53 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Colgate-Palmolive Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 19th will be given a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 19th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.09%. Colgate-Palmolive’s payout ratio is 63.29%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Sally Massey sold 12,226 shares of Colgate-Palmolive stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $94.06, for a total value of $1,149,977.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 13,924 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,309,691.44. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other news, insider John W. Kooyman sold 3,497 shares of Colgate-Palmolive stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $93.47, for a total value of $326,864.59. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 3,181 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $297,328.07. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Sally Massey sold 12,226 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $94.06, for a total value of $1,149,977.56. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 13,924 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,309,691.44. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.37% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently issued reports on CL. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Colgate-Palmolive from $101.00 to $103.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 28th. Barclays increased their price target on Colgate-Palmolive from $84.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 30th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $90.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, April 29th. BNP Paribas began coverage on shares of Colgate-Palmolive in a report on Monday, June 24th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $109.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $94.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, April 29th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $93.83.

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.