Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) Shares Sold by Argent Trust Co

Argent Trust Co cut its holdings in Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) by 0.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 144,129 shares of the company’s stock after selling 299 shares during the quarter. Argent Trust Co’s holdings in Colgate-Palmolive were worth $13,103,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC grew its position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 16.2% during the fourth quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC now owns 6,752 shares of the company’s stock worth $591,000 after buying an additional 943 shares in the last quarter. Peak Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive in the fourth quarter valued at about $1,315,000. Aviva PLC lifted its stake in Colgate-Palmolive by 13.4% during the fourth quarter. Aviva PLC now owns 973,421 shares of the company’s stock worth $88,494,000 after purchasing an additional 114,855 shares during the period. Fiduciary Alliance LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $4,066,000. Finally, Impact Partnership Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive in the 4th quarter valued at $803,000. 80.41% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently commented on the stock. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $104.00 to $100.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. TD Cowen dropped their price target on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $110.00 to $100.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $83.00 to $89.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $83.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $101.00 price objective on shares of Colgate-Palmolive in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $102.06.

Colgate-Palmolive Stock Up 1.3 %

Shares of NYSE CL traded up $1.21 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $91.44. The company had a trading volume of 250,010 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,558,114. Colgate-Palmolive has a one year low of $85.32 and a one year high of $109.30. The company has a current ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 13.40. The company has a market capitalization of $74.16 billion, a PE ratio of 25.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.20 and a beta of 0.40. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $90.24 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $92.80.

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $0.91 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.90 by $0.01. Colgate-Palmolive had a net margin of 14.38% and a return on equity of 477.77%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.87 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that Colgate-Palmolive will post 3.75 EPS for the current year.

Colgate-Palmolive declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, March 20th that authorizes the company to buyback $5.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to reacquire up to 6.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are usually a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Colgate-Palmolive Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 17th will be given a dividend of $0.52 per share. This is an increase from Colgate-Palmolive’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.27%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 17th. Colgate-Palmolive’s payout ratio 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.