Empirical Finance LLC Sells 398 Shares of Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL)

Empirical Finance LLC trimmed its position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) by 1.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 28,447 shares of the company’s stock after selling 398 shares during the quarter. Empirical Finance LLC’s holdings in Colgate-Palmolive were worth $2,586,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in CL. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA bought a new stake in Colgate-Palmolive in the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Hager Investment Management Services LLC bought a new stake in Colgate-Palmolive in the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. Reston Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Colgate-Palmolive in the 3rd quarter valued at $42,000. Synergy Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Colgate-Palmolive in the 4th quarter valued at $49,000. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in Colgate-Palmolive in the 3rd quarter valued at $53,000. 80.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Colgate-Palmolive Stock Performance

NYSE CL opened at $86.81 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 0.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 9.46. The company has a market capitalization of $70.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.66, a P/E/G ratio of 4.12 and a beta of 0.44. Colgate-Palmolive has a 12-month low of $82.68 and a 12-month high of $109.30. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $90.36 and a two-hundred day moving average price 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 for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.90 by $0.01. Colgate-Palmolive had a net margin of 14.38% and a return on equity of 477.77%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.87 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that Colgate-Palmolive will post 3.73 earnings per share for the current year.

Colgate-Palmolive Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 14th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, January 21st 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 2.30%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, January 21st. Colgate-Palmolive’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 56.82%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on CL shares. TD Cowen lowered their price target on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $110.00 to $100.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Piper Sandler lowered their price target on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $121.00 to $112.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $96.00 to $83.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $101.00 price objective on shares of Colgate-Palmolive in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, Raymond James restated an “outperform” rating and set a $105.00 price objective (down from $110.00) on shares of Colgate-Palmolive in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $101.16.

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.