Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV Lowers Holdings in Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL)

Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV decreased its position in Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) by 0.3% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 44,502 shares of the company’s stock after selling 129 shares during the period. Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV’s holdings in Colgate-Palmolive were worth $4,007,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Colgate-Palmolive by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 79,894,344 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,368,378,000 after buying an additional 416,853 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its holdings in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 16.8% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 32,133,218 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,561,340,000 after purchasing an additional 4,625,472 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley lifted its holdings in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 3.2% during the 3rd quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 16,815,987 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,195,785,000 after purchasing an additional 514,559 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive in the 4th quarter valued at $731,843,000. Finally, GUARDCAP ASSET MANAGEMENT Ltd increased its position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. GUARDCAP ASSET MANAGEMENT Ltd now owns 6,709,304 shares of the company’s stock valued at $534,799,000 after acquiring an additional 86,671 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.41% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on CL shares. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $84.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 30th. Argus increased their target price on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $97.00 to $107.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 15th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $88.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Monday, April 29th. BNP Paribas started coverage on shares of Colgate-Palmolive in a research note on Monday, June 24th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $109.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Colgate-Palmolive has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $93.83.

Insider Activity at Colgate-Palmolive

In related news, insider Sally Massey sold 12,226 shares of Colgate-Palmolive 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Colgate-Palmolive news, insider John W. Kooyman sold 3,497 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the insider now owns 3,181 shares in the company, valued at $297,328.07. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Sally Massey sold 12,226 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $94.06, for a total transaction of $1,149,977.56. Following the completion of the transaction, 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. 0.37% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Colgate-Palmolive Trading Down 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE CL traded down $0.27 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $95.85. 639,630 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,471,516. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $94.17 and a 200 day simple moving average of $87.90. The stock has a market capitalization of $78.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.42, a PEG ratio of 3.57 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 has a twelve month low of $67.62 and a twelve month high of $99.08.

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

Colgate-Palmolive Dividend Announcement

The business 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 $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 19th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.09%. Colgate-Palmolive’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 63.29%.

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.