O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC Acquires 4,576 Shares of Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL)

O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) by 2.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 220,030 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,576 shares during the period. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Colgate-Palmolive were worth $20,003,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in Colgate-Palmolive in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Centricity Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA bought a new stake in Colgate-Palmolive during the 4th quarter worth $32,000. Briaud Financial Planning Inc acquired a new position in Colgate-Palmolive in the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Wintrust Investments LLC bought a new position in Colgate-Palmolive in the fourth quarter valued at about $33,000. 80.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on CL shares. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on Colgate-Palmolive from $111.00 to $104.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $92.00 to $83.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Raymond James reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $105.00 price objective (down previously from $110.00) on shares of Colgate-Palmolive in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. TD Cowen cut their target price on Colgate-Palmolive from $110.00 to $100.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on Colgate-Palmolive from $95.00 to $93.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Colgate-Palmolive has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $102.06.

Colgate-Palmolive Stock Performance

Shares of Colgate-Palmolive stock opened at $92.73 on Monday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $89.69 and a 200 day simple moving average of $93.52. The firm has a market capitalization of $75.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.34, a PEG ratio of 4.20 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 13.40, a current ratio of 0.92 and a quick ratio of 0.58. Colgate-Palmolive has a one year low of $85.32 and a one year high of $109.30.

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) last issued its 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 return on equity of 477.77% and a net margin of 14.38%. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.87 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Colgate-Palmolive will post 3.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Colgate-Palmolive announced that its board has authorized a share buyback program on Thursday, March 20th that allows the company to repurchase $5.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to buy up to 6.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are generally a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Colgate-Palmolive Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.52 per share. This is a boost from Colgate-Palmolive’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.24%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 17th. Colgate-Palmolive’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 59.09%.

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.