Quadrant Capital Group LLC Lowers Stake in Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL)

Quadrant Capital Group LLC lessened its position in Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) by 18.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 4,512 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,010 shares during the period. Quadrant Capital Group LLC’s holdings in Colgate-Palmolive were worth $360,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. M&G Investment Management Ltd. increased its position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. M&G Investment Management Ltd. now owns 49,269 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,942,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 3.9% in the fourth quarter. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC now owns 3,404 shares of the company’s stock worth $271,000 after buying an additional 127 shares during the last quarter. &PARTNERS boosted its position in Colgate-Palmolive by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. &PARTNERS now owns 17,643 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,406,000 after purchasing an additional 129 shares during the period. West Branch Capital LLC raised its position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 24.0% in the fourth quarter. West Branch Capital LLC now owns 682 shares of the company’s stock valued at $54,000 after purchasing an additional 132 shares during the period. Finally, First Foundation Advisors lifted its stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 2.7% in the third quarter. First Foundation Advisors now owns 5,226 shares of the company’s stock worth $372,000 after buying an additional 136 shares during the last quarter. 80.41% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Colgate-Palmolive Stock Performance

Shares of CL opened at $94.13 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $89.81 and a 200 day simple moving average of $83.76. 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 12 month low of $67.62 and a 12 month high of $95.59. The stock has a market capitalization of $77.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.79, a PEG ratio of 3.47 and a beta of 0.40.

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 26th. The company reported $0.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 last year, the firm posted $0.73 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that Colgate-Palmolive will post 3.53 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Colgate-Palmolive Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 22nd were issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, April 19th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.12%. This is an increase from Colgate-Palmolive’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. Colgate-Palmolive’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 63.29%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Jennifer Daniels sold 3,538 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $84.67, for a total transaction of $299,562.46. Following the sale, the insider now owns 59,698 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,054,629.66. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In other news, insider Sally Massey sold 12,226 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 13,924 shares in the company, valued at $1,309,691.44. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Jennifer Daniels sold 3,538 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $84.67, for a total value of $299,562.46. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 59,698 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,054,629.66. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 89,209 shares of company stock valued at $7,667,425. 0.34% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have issued reports on CL. Bank of America raised their target price on Colgate-Palmolive from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 29th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $85.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 29th. Raymond James upgraded shares of Colgate-Palmolive from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $91.00 target price for the company in a research note on Monday, January 29th. TheStreet raised Colgate-Palmolive from a “c+” rating to a “b+” rating in a report on Friday, January 26th. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on Colgate-Palmolive from $90.00 to $96.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, April 8th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $92.35.

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.