Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) Coverage Initiated at BNP Paribas

BNP Paribas started coverage on shares of Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) in a research report sent to investors on Monday, Marketbeat.com reports. The brokerage issued an outperform rating and a $109.00 price target on the stock.

Several other equities analysts have also weighed in on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on shares of Colgate-Palmolive in a report on Friday, March 1st. They set a buy rating and a $93.00 target price on the stock. Evercore ISI upped their price objective on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $90.00 to $96.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research report on Monday, April 8th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $94.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Monday, April 29th. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $84.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 30th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $88.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a sector perform rating in a research report on Monday, April 29th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Colgate-Palmolive presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $93.83.

Colgate-Palmolive Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE CL opened at $98.22 on Monday. Colgate-Palmolive has a 1 year low of $67.62 and a 1 year high of $99.08. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $93.22 and its 200 day moving average price is $87.22. The firm has a market cap of $80.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.63 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 13.21, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a current ratio of 1.06.

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 26th. The company reported $0.86 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.82 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $5.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.96 billion. Colgate-Palmolive had a net margin of 13.22% and a return on equity of 485.40%. Colgate-Palmolive’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.73 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Colgate-Palmolive will post 3.53 earnings per share for the current year.

Colgate-Palmolive Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 15th. Investors 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 yield of 2.04%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 19th. Colgate-Palmolive’s payout ratio is 63.29%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider John W. Kooyman sold 3,497 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 7th. The shares were 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 approximately $297,328.07. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, insider Sally Massey sold 12,226 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 9th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at approximately $1,309,691.44. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider John W. Kooyman sold 3,497 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $93.47, for a total transaction of $326,864.59. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 3,181 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $297,328.07. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Colgate-Palmolive

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CL. Legacy Trust grew its stake in Colgate-Palmolive by 1.7% during the first quarter. Legacy Trust now owns 6,925 shares of the company’s stock worth $624,000 after buying an additional 116 shares in the last quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC grew its stake in Colgate-Palmolive by 1.5% during the first quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC now owns 7,829 shares of the company’s stock worth $705,000 after buying an additional 118 shares in the last quarter. Regal Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in Colgate-Palmolive by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Regal Investment Advisors LLC now owns 7,574 shares of the company’s stock worth $604,000 after buying an additional 121 shares in the last quarter. M&G Investment Management Ltd. grew its stake in Colgate-Palmolive by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. M&G Investment Management Ltd. now owns 49,269 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,942,000 after buying an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. Finally, C2P Capital Advisory Group LLC d.b.a. Prosperity Capital Advisors grew its stake in Colgate-Palmolive by 3.8% during the first quarter. C2P Capital Advisory Group LLC d.b.a. Prosperity Capital Advisors now owns 3,374 shares of the company’s stock worth $304,000 after buying an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.41% of the company’s stock.

About Colgate-Palmolive

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.