AIA Group Ltd Sells 19,197 Shares of Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL)

AIA Group Ltd trimmed its stake in Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) by 4.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 437,143 shares of the company’s stock after selling 19,197 shares during the period. Colgate-Palmolive comprises approximately 1.0% of AIA Group Ltd’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 28th biggest position. AIA Group Ltd owned approximately 0.05% of Colgate-Palmolive worth $39,741,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Captrust Financial Advisors increased its position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 4.6% during the third quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 112,489 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,677,000 after buying an additional 4,995 shares during the period. True Wealth Design LLC raised its position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 1,460.9% in the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 718 shares of the company’s stock worth $75,000 after acquiring an additional 672 shares in the last quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH acquired a new position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive in the 3rd quarter valued at about $15,932,000. B&L Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive during the 3rd quarter valued at about $595,000. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Colgate-Palmolive during the third quarter worth approximately $207,000. 80.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Colgate-Palmolive Trading Down 0.5 %

Shares of Colgate-Palmolive stock opened at $92.73 on Monday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $89.69 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $93.52. The firm has a market cap of $75.25 billion, a PE ratio of 26.34, a PEG ratio of 4.20 and a beta of 0.40. Colgate-Palmolive has a 1 year low of $85.32 and a 1 year high of $109.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 13.40, a current ratio of 0.92 and a quick ratio of 0.58.

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) last released its earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $0.91 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.90 by $0.01. Colgate-Palmolive had a return on equity of 477.77% and a net margin of 14.38%. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.87 EPS. Analysts expect that Colgate-Palmolive will post 3.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Colgate-Palmolive Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.52 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 17th. This is an increase from Colgate-Palmolive’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.24%. Colgate-Palmolive’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 59.09%.

Colgate-Palmolive declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase program on Thursday, March 20th that allows the company to repurchase $5.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to reacquire up to 6.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are generally an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have issued reports on CL shares. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Colgate-Palmolive from $92.00 to $83.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $111.00 to $104.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 3rd. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $104.00 to $100.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. StockNews.com downgraded Colgate-Palmolive from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 25th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Colgate-Palmolive from $97.00 to $99.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, March 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Colgate-Palmolive currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $102.06.

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.