Searle & CO. Has $1.36 Million Holdings in Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL)

Searle & CO. raised its stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) by 2.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 17,012 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 412 shares during the period. Searle & CO.’s holdings in Colgate-Palmolive were worth $1,356,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. FMR LLC boosted its position in Colgate-Palmolive by 27.3% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 5,597,742 shares of the company’s stock valued at $398,055,000 after acquiring an additional 1,199,660 shares during the last quarter. AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc acquired a new position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive in the 4th quarter valued at about $62,728,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 92.2% during the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,436,054 shares of the company’s stock valued at $114,468,000 after purchasing an additional 688,733 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in Colgate-Palmolive by 225.4% in the third quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 930,072 shares of the company’s stock worth $66,137,000 after purchasing an additional 644,205 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of Nova Scotia lifted its stake in Colgate-Palmolive by 188.5% in the third quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 883,272 shares of the company’s stock valued at $62,809,000 after buying an additional 577,114 shares during the period. 80.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CL has been the subject of several research analyst reports. TheStreet upgraded shares of Colgate-Palmolive from a “c+” rating to a “b+” rating in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Colgate-Palmolive from $85.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 29th. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. Raymond James upgraded shares of Colgate-Palmolive from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $91.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Monday, January 29th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Colgate-Palmolive from $88.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 18th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $91.44.

Insider Buying and Selling at Colgate-Palmolive

In related news, EVP Gregory Malcolm sold 8,930 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.35, for a total value of $762,175.50. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 8,043 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $686,470.05. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, CEO Noel R. Wallace sold 50,000 shares of Colgate-Palmolive stock in a transaction on Monday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $83.15, for a total transaction of $4,157,500.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 274,179 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,797,983.85. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Gregory Malcolm sold 8,930 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $85.35, for a total value of $762,175.50. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 8,043 shares in the company, valued at approximately $686,470.05. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 229,611 shares of company stock valued at $19,271,879 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.37% of the company’s stock.

Colgate-Palmolive Stock Down 0.0 %

Shares of Colgate-Palmolive stock traded down $0.02 on Wednesday, reaching $91.90. The stock had a trading volume of 5,218,126 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,624,679. The company has a quick ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 13.21. The stock has a market capitalization of $75.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.04, a P/E/G ratio of 3.37 and a beta of 0.42. Colgate-Palmolive has a 1 year low of $67.62 and a 1 year high of $92.54. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $87.95 and a 200 day moving average price of $81.92.

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 26th. The company reported $0.86 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.82 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $5.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.96 billion. Colgate-Palmolive had a net margin of 13.22% and a return on equity of 485.40%. The business’s revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.73 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Colgate-Palmolive will post 3.52 EPS for the current year.

Colgate-Palmolive Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 22nd will be issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 19th. This is a positive change from Colgate-Palmolive’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.18%. Colgate-Palmolive’s dividend payout ratio is 63.29%.

Colgate-Palmolive 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.