Meeder Advisory Services Inc. Buys 1,688 Shares of Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL)

Meeder Advisory Services Inc. boosted its stake in Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) by 9.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 20,483 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,688 shares during the quarter. Meeder Advisory Services Inc.’s holdings in Colgate-Palmolive were worth $1,862,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Centricity Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Colgate-Palmolive in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA bought a new stake in Colgate-Palmolive during the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. Briaud Financial Planning Inc acquired a new position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive during the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Wintrust Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive in the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. 80.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Colgate-Palmolive Trading Down 0.3 %

Shares of CL opened at $93.65 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $75.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.61, a PEG ratio of 4.20 and a beta of 0.40. Colgate-Palmolive has a twelve month low of $85.32 and a twelve month high of $109.30. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 13.40. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $90.03 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $93.36.

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) last posted its earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $0.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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. On average, research analysts anticipate that Colgate-Palmolive will post 3.75 EPS for the current year.

Colgate-Palmolive Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.52 per share. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.22%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 17th. This is an increase from Colgate-Palmolive’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. Colgate-Palmolive’s dividend payout ratio is currently 59.09%.

Colgate-Palmolive declared that its board has initiated a share buyback program on Thursday, March 20th that authorizes the company to repurchase $5.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to repurchase up to 6.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are usually an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently commented on CL shares. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and set a $101.00 price target on shares of Colgate-Palmolive in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. StockNews.com downgraded Colgate-Palmolive from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Colgate-Palmolive from $97.00 to $99.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, March 14th. UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $104.00 to $100.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, TD Cowen cut their price target on Colgate-Palmolive from $110.00 to $100.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $102.06.

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.