Park Avenue Securities LLC Boosts Holdings in Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL)

Park Avenue Securities LLC grew its position in Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) by 20.5% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 7,368 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,252 shares during the quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC’s holdings in Colgate-Palmolive were worth $663,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in CL. Regal Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Regal Investment Advisors LLC now owns 7,574 shares of the company’s stock valued at $604,000 after purchasing an additional 121 shares in the last quarter. M&G Investment Management Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. M&G Investment Management Ltd. now owns 49,269 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,942,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares during the period. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 3.9% during the 4th quarter. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC now owns 3,404 shares of the company’s stock worth $271,000 after acquiring an additional 127 shares in the last quarter. &PARTNERS grew its holdings in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. &PARTNERS now owns 17,643 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,406,000 after acquiring an additional 129 shares during the period. Finally, AMG National Trust Bank increased its stake in Colgate-Palmolive by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. AMG National Trust Bank now owns 30,232 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,410,000 after purchasing an additional 131 shares in the last quarter. 80.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Colgate-Palmolive Price Performance

CL opened at $98.17 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 13.21. Colgate-Palmolive has a twelve month low of $67.62 and a twelve month high of $99.08. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $93.45 and a 200 day simple moving average of $87.30. The firm has a market cap of $80.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.07, a PEG ratio of 3.63 and a beta of 0.39.

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) last released its earnings results on Friday, April 26th. The company reported $0.86 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.82 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $5.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.96 billion. Colgate-Palmolive had a return on equity of 485.40% and a net margin of 13.22%. The business’s revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.73 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Colgate-Palmolive will post 3.53 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Colgate-Palmolive Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 15th. Investors of record on Friday, July 19th will be paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.04%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 19th. Colgate-Palmolive’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 63.29%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Colgate-Palmolive news, insider John W. Kooyman sold 3,497 shares of Colgate-Palmolive stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 7th. The stock was 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 directly owns 3,181 shares in the company, valued at $297,328.07. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, insider John W. Kooyman sold 3,497 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $93.47, for a total value of $326,864.59. Following the sale, the insider now owns 3,181 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $297,328.07. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Sally Massey sold 12,226 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $94.06, for a total transaction of $1,149,977.56. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 13,924 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,309,691.44. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.34% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently commented on CL shares. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target 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. Evercore ISI boosted their price target on Colgate-Palmolive from $90.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, April 8th. Argus lifted their price objective on Colgate-Palmolive from $97.00 to $107.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 15th. Bank of America upped their target price on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 29th. Finally, Citigroup lifted 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. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $93.83.

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.