2,550 Shares in Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) Purchased by Aviance Capital Partners LLC

Aviance Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 2,550 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $203,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Morgan Stanley raised its holdings in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 3.2% in the 3rd quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 16,815,987 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,195,785,000 after acquiring an additional 514,559 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp raised its position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 3.3% during the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 9,452,931 shares of the company’s stock valued at $672,198,000 after buying an additional 305,862 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 6,590,405 shares of the company’s stock worth $468,644,000 after acquiring an additional 127,805 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC grew its position in Colgate-Palmolive by 27.3% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 5,597,742 shares of the company’s stock worth $398,055,000 after acquiring an additional 1,199,660 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB increased its stake in Colgate-Palmolive by 10.1% in the third quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 5,455,384 shares of the company’s stock valued at $390,005,000 after acquiring an additional 500,916 shares during the last quarter. 80.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CL has been the subject of a number of research reports. TheStreet upgraded Colgate-Palmolive from a “c+” rating to a “b+” rating in a report on Friday, January 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Colgate-Palmolive from $88.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 18th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on Colgate-Palmolive from $88.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Monday, April 29th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Colgate-Palmolive from $85.00 to $93.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 29th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $90.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, April 29th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $91.44.

Colgate-Palmolive Stock Up 1.0 %

Shares of CL stock traded up $0.90 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $94.08. 3,987,097 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,665,950. The firm has a market cap of $77.19 billion, a PE ratio of 29.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.43 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a current ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 13.21. The company’s 50 day moving average is $88.64 and its two-hundred day moving average is $82.63. Colgate-Palmolive has a 1 year low of $67.62 and a 1 year high of $94.21.

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 26th. The company reported $0.86 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.82 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $5.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.96 billion. Colgate-Palmolive had a return on equity of 485.40% and a net margin of 13.22%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.73 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that Colgate-Palmolive will post 3.52 EPS for the current year.

Colgate-Palmolive Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 22nd will be given a $0.50 dividend. This is a boost from Colgate-Palmolive’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.13%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 19th. Colgate-Palmolive’s payout ratio is currently 63.29%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Noel R. Wallace sold 50,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 274,179 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,797,983.85. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, CEO Noel R. Wallace sold 50,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $83.15, for a total value of $4,157,500.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 274,179 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $22,797,983.85. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Jennifer Daniels sold 3,538 shares of Colgate-Palmolive stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $84.67, for a total value of $299,562.46. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 59,698 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,054,629.66. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 159,048 shares of company stock worth $13,336,846 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Colgate-Palmolive 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.