Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Analysts

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL - Get Free Report) has earned an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the twenty-two ratings firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, nine have assigned a hold recommendation and twelve have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $105.11.

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on CL shares. HSBC restated a "hold" rating on shares of Colgate-Palmolive in a report on Friday, July 26th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $103.00 to $111.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, July 29th. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $119.00 to $122.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $113.00 to $114.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, October 11th. Finally, Hsbc Global Res cut shares of Colgate-Palmolive from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, July 26th.

Colgate-Palmolive Trading Up 0.7 %

NYSE:CL opened at $94.91 on Friday. The company's 50 day moving average price is $98.10 and its 200-day moving average price is $98.51. Colgate-Palmolive has a 52 week low of $75.50 and a 52 week high of $109.30. The company has a quick ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 9.46. The stock has a market cap of $77.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.19, a PEG ratio of 3.36 and a beta of 0.42.

Colgate-Palmolive Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 18th were issued a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, October 18th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.11%. Colgate-Palmolive's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 57.31%.

Insider Activity at Colgate-Palmolive

In other Colgate-Palmolive news, CFO Stanley J. Sutula III sold 45,410 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $94.11, for a total value of $4,273,535.10. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 36,726 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,456,283.86. The trade was a 55.29 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Colgate-Palmolive

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Gordian Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $602,000. Carrera Capital Advisors boosted its holdings in Colgate-Palmolive by 23.1% during the third quarter. Carrera Capital Advisors now owns 39,170 shares of the company's stock worth $4,066,000 after buying an additional 7,353 shares in the last quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. boosted its holdings in Colgate-Palmolive by 224.6% during the third quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 795,938 shares of the company's stock worth $82,626,000 after buying an additional 550,750 shares in the last quarter. PGGM Investments boosted its holdings in Colgate-Palmolive by 171.8% during the second quarter. PGGM Investments now owns 157,608 shares of the company's stock worth $15,294,000 after buying an additional 99,624 shares in the last quarter. Finally, QRG Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Colgate-Palmolive by 11.2% during the second quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 57,275 shares of the company's stock worth $5,558,000 after buying an additional 5,751 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.