Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) Given Consensus Rating of “Hold” by Analysts

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the twenty-one analysts that are covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $101.78.

Several equities analysts recently commented on the company. StockNews.com downgraded Colgate-Palmolive from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th. TD Cowen dropped their price target on Colgate-Palmolive from $110.00 to $100.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Barclays boosted their price objective on Colgate-Palmolive from $83.00 to $89.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Raymond James reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $105.00 target price (down previously from $110.00) on shares of Colgate-Palmolive in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $97.00 to $99.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, March 14th.

Colgate-Palmolive Stock Up 0.3 %

CL stock opened at $93.95 on Friday. Colgate-Palmolive has a 1-year low of $85.32 and a 1-year high of $109.30. The stock has a market cap of $76.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.69, a P/E/G ratio of 4.20 and a beta of 0.40. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $89.91 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $93.35. The company has a current ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 13.40.

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $0.91 earnings per share 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 last year, the company earned $0.87 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Colgate-Palmolive will post 3.75 EPS for the current year.

Colgate-Palmolive announced that its board has authorized a share repurchase plan on Thursday, March 20th that authorizes the company to buyback $5.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to reacquire up to 6.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are usually an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Colgate-Palmolive Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 17th will be issued a $0.52 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 17th. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.21%. This is an increase from Colgate-Palmolive’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. Colgate-Palmolive’s payout ratio is currently 59.09%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Centricity Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in Colgate-Palmolive during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA bought a new position in Colgate-Palmolive during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Briaud Financial Planning Inc purchased a new stake in Colgate-Palmolive in the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. 80.41% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.