Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) Holdings Lifted by Raymond James Trust N.A.

Raymond James Trust N.A. boosted its position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) by 9.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 28,482 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 2,565 shares during the quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A.’s holdings in Colgate-Palmolive were worth $2,270,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new position in Colgate-Palmolive during the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Quarry LP boosted its position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 48.2% in the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 446 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 145 shares during the period. West Tower Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive in the 2nd quarter valued at $36,000. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 142.0% in the 3rd quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 496 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 291 shares during the period. Finally, McCarthy Grittinger Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive in the 3rd quarter valued at $37,000. Institutional investors own 78.36% of the company’s stock.

Colgate-Palmolive Stock Performance

CL opened at $88.37 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $72.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.37 and a beta of 0.42. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $84.53 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $78.43. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.59. Colgate-Palmolive has a 12-month low of $67.62 and a 12-month high of $89.36.

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 26th. The company reported $0.87 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $4.95 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.89 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.77 EPS. Colgate-Palmolive’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that Colgate-Palmolive will post 3.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Colgate-Palmolive Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Investors 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 is Friday, April 19th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.26%. Colgate-Palmolive’s payout ratio is currently 69.06%.

Insider Activity at Colgate-Palmolive

In related news, Director C Martin Harris sold 2,760 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $84.50, for a total value of $233,220.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 19,272 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,628,484. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In related news, Director C Martin Harris sold 2,760 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $84.50, for a total value of $233,220.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 19,272 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,628,484. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Noel R. Wallace sold 50,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $83.15, for a total value of $4,157,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 274,179 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,797,983.85. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 232,371 shares of company stock valued at $19,505,099 in the last 90 days. 0.34% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CL has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Colgate-Palmolive from $80.00 to $88.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 29th. Barclays increased their price target on Colgate-Palmolive from $75.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 16th. Raymond James upgraded Colgate-Palmolive from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $91.00 price target for the company in a research report on Monday, January 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised 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, StockNews.com downgraded Colgate-Palmolive from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 20th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $87.31.

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.