Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) Raised to “Buy” at StockNews.com

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) was upgraded by equities researchers at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued to investors on Thursday.

Several other equities analysts also recently weighed in on the company. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded Colgate-Palmolive from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their target price for the company from $103.00 to $95.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their target price on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $100.00 to $103.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 30th. TD Cowen reduced their target price on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $115.00 to $110.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, October 28th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Colgate-Palmolive from $100.00 to $92.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 28th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $91.00 to $96.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, July 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $105.11.

Colgate-Palmolive Stock Performance

Shares of CL stock opened at $93.58 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $76.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.22, a P/E/G ratio of 3.25 and a beta of 0.42. Colgate-Palmolive has a 12-month low of $75.17 and a 12-month high of $109.30. The business’s 50 day moving average is $99.60 and its two-hundred day moving average is $98.43. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 9.46.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Stanley J. Sutula III sold 45,410 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $94.11, for a total transaction of $4,273,535.10. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 36,726 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,456,283.86. The trade was a 55.29 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Martina Hundmejean sold 2,313 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.86, for a total value of $240,228.18. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 11,755 shares in the company, valued at $1,220,874.30. This trade represents a 16.44 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.34% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Colgate-Palmolive

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive during the 2nd quarter worth $25,000. Continuum Advisory LLC boosted its stake in Colgate-Palmolive by 46.5% in the 2nd quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 394 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. Reston Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive during the 3rd quarter valued at about $42,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive during the 3rd quarter worth about $53,000. Finally, Prospera Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive in the third quarter worth approximately $64,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.