Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) Shares Sold by KCM Investment Advisors LLC

KCM Investment Advisors LLC trimmed its position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) by 3.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 62,745 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,090 shares during the period. KCM Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Colgate-Palmolive were worth $5,704,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC grew its position in Colgate-Palmolive by 16.2% in the 4th quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC now owns 6,752 shares of the company’s stock valued at $591,000 after acquiring an additional 943 shares in the last quarter. Peak Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,315,000. Fiduciary Alliance LLC purchased a new stake in Colgate-Palmolive during the 4th quarter worth approximately $4,066,000. Impact Partnership Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Colgate-Palmolive during the 4th quarter worth approximately $803,000. Finally, Barclays PLC boosted its position in Colgate-Palmolive by 38.7% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 7,644,189 shares of the company’s stock valued at $793,542,000 after buying an additional 2,132,747 shares during the period. 80.41% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently issued reports on CL. StockNews.com upgraded Colgate-Palmolive from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Colgate-Palmolive from $111.00 to $104.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $95.00 to $93.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $97.00 to $99.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, March 14th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and issued a $101.00 price objective on shares of Colgate-Palmolive in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $102.06.

Colgate-Palmolive Trading Down 4.4 %

NYSE CL opened at $91.75 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $90.27 and its two-hundred day moving average is $93.28. Colgate-Palmolive has a one year low of $85.32 and a one year high of $109.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 13.40, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a current ratio of 0.92. The firm has a market cap of $74.41 billion, a PE ratio of 26.06, a P/E/G ratio of 4.20 and a beta of 0.40.

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $0.91 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.87 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Colgate-Palmolive will post 3.75 earnings per share for the current year.

Colgate-Palmolive Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 17th will be paid a $0.52 dividend. This is a boost from Colgate-Palmolive’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.27%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 17th. Colgate-Palmolive’s payout ratio is currently 59.09%.

Colgate-Palmolive declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase program on Thursday, March 20th that permits the company to buyback $5.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to purchase up to 6.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

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.