EP Wealth Advisors LLC Boosts Holdings in Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL)

EP Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) by 4.0% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 43,137 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,662 shares during the quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Colgate-Palmolive were worth $3,884,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Allen Mooney & Barnes Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 5.4% during the fourth quarter. Allen Mooney & Barnes Investment Advisors LLC now owns 3,863 shares of the company’s stock worth $308,000 after acquiring an additional 198 shares in the last quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. grew its holdings in Colgate-Palmolive by 560.2% in the 4th quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 288,537 shares of the company’s stock worth $22,999,000 after acquiring an additional 244,834 shares during the last quarter. Mitchell Sinkler & Starr PA increased its position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 92.6% in the fourth quarter. Mitchell Sinkler & Starr PA now owns 45,899 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,659,000 after acquiring an additional 22,073 shares during the period. Xponance Inc. raised its stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 7.9% during the fourth quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 182,775 shares of the company’s stock valued at $14,569,000 after acquiring an additional 13,342 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Stonehage Fleming Financial Services Holdings Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 57.1% during the fourth quarter. Stonehage Fleming Financial Services Holdings Ltd now owns 383,819 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,594,000 after purchasing an additional 139,429 shares during the period. 80.41% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Colgate-Palmolive Stock Up 3.0 %

Colgate-Palmolive stock traded up $2.90 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $99.39. The company had a trading volume of 6,389,794 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,394,639. 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 stock’s 50 day moving average price is $95.72 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $89.93. Colgate-Palmolive has a 12 month low of $67.62 and a 12 month high of $100.61. The company has a market capitalization of $81.54 billion, a PE ratio of 31.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.49 and a beta of 0.39.

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 26th. The company reported $0.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.87 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $5.06 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5 billion. Colgate-Palmolive had a return on equity of 485.40% and a net margin of 13.22%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.77 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Colgate-Palmolive will post 3.53 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Colgate-Palmolive Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 19th will be issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.01%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 19th. Colgate-Palmolive’s payout ratio is currently 63.29%.

Insider Activity

In other Colgate-Palmolive news, insider John W. Kooyman sold 3,497 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $93.47, for a total value of $326,864.59. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 3,181 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $297,328.07. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other Colgate-Palmolive news, insider John W. Kooyman sold 3,497 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $93.47, for a total value of $326,864.59. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 3,181 shares in the company, valued at $297,328.07. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Sally Massey sold 12,226 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $94.06, for a total value of $1,149,977.56. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 13,924 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,309,691.44. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Argus boosted their price target on Colgate-Palmolive from $97.00 to $107.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 15th. Jefferies Financial Group cut Colgate-Palmolive from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their target price for the company from $103.00 to $95.00 in a research note on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Colgate-Palmolive from $101.00 to $103.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 28th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their target price on Colgate-Palmolive from $98.00 to $104.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on Colgate-Palmolive from $95.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $98.58.

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.