Short Interest in Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) Rises By 7.5%

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) was the target of a large growth in short interest during the month of November. As of November 15th, there was short interest totalling 11,200,000 shares, a growth of 7.5% from the October 31st total of 10,420,000 shares. Approximately 1.4% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 4,490,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.5 days.

Colgate-Palmolive Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of Colgate-Palmolive stock opened at $94.81 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $77.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.17, a PEG ratio of 3.47 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a quick ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 9.46. Colgate-Palmolive has a 12-month low of $75.50 and a 12-month high of $109.30. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $96.89 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $98.63.

Colgate-Palmolive Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Investors of record on Friday, October 18th were issued a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, October 18th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.11%. Colgate-Palmolive’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 57.31%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded shares of Colgate-Palmolive from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $107.00 to $109.00 in a research note on Monday, September 9th. TD Cowen lowered their price target on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $115.00 to $110.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, October 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $113.00 to $114.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, October 11th. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $119.00 to $122.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 4th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut shares of Colgate-Palmolive from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $105.00 to $101.00 in a research report on Monday, October 28th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $105.11.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Colgate-Palmolive news, CFO Stanley J. Sutula III sold 45,410 shares of Colgate-Palmolive stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $94.11, for a total transaction of $4,273,535.10. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 36,726 shares in the company, valued at $3,456,283.86. The trade was a 55.29 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.37% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Garde Capital Inc. raised its holdings in Colgate-Palmolive by 19.5% during the 3rd quarter. Garde Capital Inc. now owns 1,553 shares of the company’s stock worth $161,000 after purchasing an additional 253 shares during the last quarter. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp raised its holdings in Colgate-Palmolive by 2.4% during the 3rd quarter. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp now owns 50,653 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,258,000 after purchasing an additional 1,203 shares during the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC raised its holdings in Colgate-Palmolive by 351.0% during the 3rd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 284,568 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,541,000 after purchasing an additional 221,469 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB raised its holdings in Colgate-Palmolive by 125.0% during the 3rd quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 51,333 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,329,000 after purchasing an additional 28,518 shares during the last quarter. Finally, World Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in Colgate-Palmolive during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $752,000. Institutional investors own 80.41% of the company’s stock.

Colgate-Palmolive Company 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.