Howland Capital Management LLC Trims Holdings in Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL)

Howland Capital Management LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) by 8.7% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 24,755 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,370 shares during the quarter. Howland Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Colgate-Palmolive were worth $2,250,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA purchased a new position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Hager Investment Management Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive in the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. Reston Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $42,000. Synergy Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive in the 4th quarter worth approximately $49,000. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $53,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.41% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Colgate-Palmolive from $92.00 to $83.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. TD Cowen lowered their price objective on Colgate-Palmolive from $110.00 to $100.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on Colgate-Palmolive from $95.00 to $93.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. StockNews.com cut Colgate-Palmolive from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 9th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on Colgate-Palmolive from $111.00 to $104.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $101.16.

Colgate-Palmolive Trading Up 1.3 %

Shares of CL stock opened at $86.81 on Friday. Colgate-Palmolive has a 52-week low of $82.68 and a 52-week high of $109.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 9.46, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a current ratio of 0.41. The firm has a market capitalization of $70.93 billion, a PE ratio of 24.66, a PEG ratio of 4.12 and a beta of 0.44. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $90.36 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $96.76.

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $0.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.90 by $0.01. Colgate-Palmolive had a return on equity of 477.77% and a net margin of 14.38%. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.87 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that Colgate-Palmolive will post 3.73 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Colgate-Palmolive Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 14th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, January 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.30%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, January 21st. Colgate-Palmolive’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 56.82%.

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.