Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) Shares Sold by Barclays PLC

Barclays PLC reduced its stake in Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL - Free Report) by 38.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,735,721 shares of the company's stock after selling 2,908,468 shares during the quarter. Barclays PLC owned about 0.58% of Colgate-Palmolive worth $430,525,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of CL. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive during the fourth quarter worth about $912,375,000. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Colgate-Palmolive during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $348,718,000. AMF Tjanstepension AB boosted its holdings in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 1,088.8% in the 4th quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB now owns 2,569,394 shares of the company's stock valued at $233,584,000 after acquiring an additional 2,353,268 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive in the fourth quarter worth $132,405,000. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB raised its holdings in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 32.5% during the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 5,091,683 shares of the company's stock worth $462,121,000 after purchasing an additional 1,247,731 shares during the last quarter. 80.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Colgate-Palmolive Price Performance

CL traded up $2.00 during trading on Friday, reaching $95.49. The company's stock had a trading volume of 7,029,569 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,590,228. 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 $91.31 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $92.43. The company has a market cap of $77.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.13, 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.

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $0.91 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 quarter last year, the company earned $0.87 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Colgate-Palmolive will post 3.75 EPS for the current year.

Colgate-Palmolive Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 17th will be issued a $0.52 dividend. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.18%. This is a positive change from Colgate-Palmolive's previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 17th. Colgate-Palmolive's payout ratio is presently 59.09%.

Colgate-Palmolive declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase program on Thursday, March 20th that allows the company to repurchase $5.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to repurchase up to 6.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are typically a sign that the company's board believes its stock is undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Piper Sandler cut their price target on Colgate-Palmolive from $108.00 to $107.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 31st. StockNews.com cut Colgate-Palmolive from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday. UBS Group upped their price objective on Colgate-Palmolive from $105.00 to $109.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday. TD Cowen cut their target price on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $110.00 to $100.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Raymond James reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $105.00 price target (down from $110.00) on shares of Colgate-Palmolive in a report on Monday, February 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Colgate-Palmolive currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $102.17.

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.