Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) Shares Sold by Amalgamated Bank

Amalgamated Bank decreased its position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) by 4.8% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 199,789 shares of the company’s stock after selling 10,007 shares during the period. Amalgamated Bank’s holdings in Colgate-Palmolive were worth $15,925,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. FMR LLC boosted its position in Colgate-Palmolive by 27.3% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 5,597,742 shares of the company’s stock valued at $398,055,000 after buying an additional 1,199,660 shares during the period. AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc purchased a new position in Colgate-Palmolive in the fourth quarter valued at $62,728,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 92.2% in the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,436,054 shares of the company’s stock valued at $114,468,000 after buying an additional 688,733 shares during the period. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 225.4% during the third quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 930,072 shares of the company’s stock worth $66,137,000 after buying an additional 644,205 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of Nova Scotia increased its stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 188.5% during the third quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 883,272 shares of the company’s stock worth $62,809,000 after buying an additional 577,114 shares during the period. 80.41% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Colgate-Palmolive Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:CL traded down $0.03 on Friday, reaching $92.88. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 5,432,692 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,690,854. Colgate-Palmolive has a 52-week low of $67.62 and a 52-week high of $93.25. The stock has a market capitalization of $76.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.39, a PEG ratio of 3.39 and a beta of 0.40. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $88.22 and its two-hundred day moving average is $82.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 13.21, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 0.28.

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) last posted 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. Colgate-Palmolive had a return on equity of 485.40% and a net margin of 13.22%. The firm had revenue of $5.07 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.96 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.73 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast 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. Investors of record on Monday, April 22nd will be issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 19th. This is an increase from Colgate-Palmolive’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.15%. Colgate-Palmolive’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 63.29%.

Insider Activity at Colgate-Palmolive

In other news, insider Jennifer Daniels sold 5,790 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $83.96, for a total value of $486,128.40. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 63,236 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,309,294.56. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other Colgate-Palmolive news, CEO Noel R. Wallace sold 69,948 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $84.22, for a total value of $5,891,020.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 286,881 shares in the company, valued at $24,161,117.82. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Jennifer Daniels sold 5,790 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $83.96, for a total value of $486,128.40. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 63,236 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,309,294.56. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 159,048 shares of company stock worth $13,336,846 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. Evercore ISI increased their target price on Colgate-Palmolive from $90.00 to $96.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, April 8th. UBS Group lifted their price target on Colgate-Palmolive from $93.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on Colgate-Palmolive in a report on Friday, March 1st. They issued a “buy” rating and a $93.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, TheStreet upgraded Colgate-Palmolive from a “c+” rating to a “b+” rating in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $91.44.

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.