Northwest Investment Counselors LLC Sells 1,492 Shares of Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL)

Northwest Investment Counselors LLC reduced its stake in Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) by 12.8% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 10,173 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,492 shares during the quarter. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC’s holdings in Colgate-Palmolive were worth $916,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in CL. Union Savings Bank boosted its holdings in Colgate-Palmolive by 76.6% during the fourth quarter. Union Savings Bank now owns 309 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 134 shares during the last quarter. Avion Wealth boosted its stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 78.1% during the 4th quarter. Avion Wealth now owns 399 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 175 shares during the last quarter. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive in the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Core Wealth Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 56.6% in the fourth quarter. Core Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 404 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 146 shares during the last quarter. Finally, McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in Colgate-Palmolive during the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. 80.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Colgate-Palmolive

In other Colgate-Palmolive news, insider Sally Massey sold 12,226 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $94.06, for a total transaction of $1,149,977.56. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 13,924 shares in the company, valued at $1,309,691.44. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, insider Sally Massey sold 12,226 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 13,924 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,309,691.44. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider John W. Kooyman sold 3,497 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $93.47, for a total value of $326,864.59. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 3,181 shares in the company, valued at approximately $297,328.07. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Colgate-Palmolive Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:CL traded up $1.34 on Monday, reaching $98.61. 1,288,022 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,426,148. The company has a current ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 13.21. Colgate-Palmolive has a twelve month low of $67.62 and a twelve month high of $98.87. The company has a fifty day moving average of $92.71 and a 200-day moving average of $86.92. The company has a market capitalization of $80.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.78, a PEG ratio of 3.57 and a beta of 0.39.

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 26th. The company reported $0.86 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 return on equity of 485.40% and a net margin of 13.22%. The company’s revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.73 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Colgate-Palmolive will post 3.53 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Colgate-Palmolive Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 19th will be paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 19th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.03%. Colgate-Palmolive’s payout ratio is 63.29%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on CL. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on Colgate-Palmolive in a research report on Friday, March 1st. They set a “buy” rating and a $93.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $101.00 to $103.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 28th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, April 29th. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $84.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 30th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price target on Colgate-Palmolive from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Colgate-Palmolive currently has an average 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.