Jefferies Financial Group Lowers Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) to Hold

Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note published on Wednesday morning, Marketbeat Ratings reports. They currently have $95.00 price target on the stock, down from their previous price target of $103.00.

A number of other equities analysts also recently commented on the stock. BNP Paribas assumed coverage on shares of Colgate-Palmolive in a report on Monday, June 24th. They set an outperform rating and a $109.00 price objective for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price target on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $98.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. Argus increased their target price on Colgate-Palmolive from $97.00 to $107.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Wednesday, May 15th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Colgate-Palmolive from $92.00 to $97.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 10th. Finally, Citigroup upped their price target on Colgate-Palmolive from $103.00 to $112.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 10th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $98.58.

Colgate-Palmolive Trading Up 3.0 %

Shares of CL opened at $99.40 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $95.83 and its 200 day moving average price is $90.06. The company has a quick ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 13.21. The firm has a market capitalization of $81.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.46, a P/E/G ratio of 3.49 and a beta of 0.39. Colgate-Palmolive has a 12-month low of $67.62 and a 12-month high of $100.61.

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 26th. The company reported $0.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.87 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $5.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5 billion. Colgate-Palmolive had a return on equity of 485.40% and a net margin of 13.22%. Colgate-Palmolive’s quarterly revenue was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.77 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that Colgate-Palmolive will post 3.53 earnings per share for the current year.

Colgate-Palmolive Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 19th will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 19th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.01%. Colgate-Palmolive’s payout ratio is 63.29%.

Insider Activity at Colgate-Palmolive

In other Colgate-Palmolive news, insider John W. Kooyman sold 3,497 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $93.47, for a total transaction of $326,864.59. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 3,181 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $297,328.07. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, insider John W. Kooyman sold 3,497 shares of Colgate-Palmolive stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $93.47, for a total value of $326,864.59. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 3,181 shares in the company, valued at $297,328.07. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Sally Massey sold 12,226 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the insider now owns 13,924 shares in the company, valued at $1,309,691.44. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Colgate-Palmolive

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. BLB&B Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 2.5% during the 2nd quarter. BLB&B Advisors LLC now owns 4,337 shares of the company’s stock valued at $421,000 after acquiring an additional 104 shares during the period. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. grew its stake in Colgate-Palmolive by 3.1% during the second quarter. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 3,591 shares of the company’s stock worth $349,000 after buying an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC increased its holdings in Colgate-Palmolive by 9.5% in the 2nd quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,274 shares of the company’s stock valued at $124,000 after buying an additional 110 shares during the period. RFG Advisory LLC raised its position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 2.1% in the 2nd quarter. RFG Advisory LLC now owns 5,411 shares of the company’s stock valued at $525,000 after buying an additional 112 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Legacy Trust lifted its holdings in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 1.7% during the 1st quarter. Legacy Trust now owns 6,925 shares of the company’s stock worth $624,000 after acquiring an additional 116 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.41% of the company’s stock.

About Colgate-Palmolive

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.