CWS Financial Advisors LLC Boosts Stake in Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL)

CWS Financial Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) by 31.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 4,189 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 994 shares during the quarter. CWS Financial Advisors LLC’s holdings in Colgate-Palmolive were worth $381,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of CL. Centricity Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Colgate-Palmolive during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA acquired a new position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive in the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Hager Investment Management Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive in the fourth quarter worth $36,000. Reston Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive in the third quarter worth $42,000. Finally, Roxbury Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive in the fourth quarter worth $43,000. 80.41% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Colgate-Palmolive Price Performance

CL stock opened at $90.10 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $88.88 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $95.73. Colgate-Palmolive has a 12-month low of $85.32 and a 12-month high of $109.30. The company has a current ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 13.40. The company has a market cap of $73.12 billion, a PE ratio of 25.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.20 and a beta of 0.44.

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) last issued its earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $0.91 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 in the prior year, the business earned $0.87 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that Colgate-Palmolive will post 3.75 EPS for the current year.

Colgate-Palmolive Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, January 21st were given a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.22%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, January 21st. Colgate-Palmolive’s payout ratio is 56.82%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on CL. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on Colgate-Palmolive from $95.00 to $93.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Colgate-Palmolive from $92.00 to $83.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Colgate-Palmolive from $111.00 to $104.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Raymond James reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $105.00 price objective (down previously from $110.00) on shares of Colgate-Palmolive in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, TD Cowen lowered their price objective on Colgate-Palmolive from $110.00 to $100.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Colgate-Palmolive presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $101.16.

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.