Mizuho Securities USA LLC Sells 10,279 Shares of Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL)

Mizuho Securities USA LLC lowered its holdings in Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL - Free Report) by 16.2% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 52,984 shares of the company's stock after selling 10,279 shares during the period. Mizuho Securities USA LLC's holdings in Colgate-Palmolive were worth $5,500,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in CL. Gordian Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive in the third quarter worth $602,000. Carrera Capital Advisors raised its position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 23.1% in the 3rd quarter. Carrera Capital Advisors now owns 39,170 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,066,000 after buying an additional 7,353 shares in the last quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 224.6% during the 3rd quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 795,938 shares of the company's stock worth $82,626,000 after acquiring an additional 550,750 shares during the period. PGGM Investments boosted its position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 171.8% during the 2nd quarter. PGGM Investments now owns 157,608 shares of the company's stock worth $15,294,000 after acquiring an additional 99,624 shares in the last quarter. Finally, QRG Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in Colgate-Palmolive by 11.2% in the second quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 57,275 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,558,000 after acquiring an additional 5,751 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.41% of the company's stock.

Colgate-Palmolive Trading Up 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE:CL traded up $0.66 during trading on Friday, reaching $94.91. The stock had a trading volume of 3,538,918 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,383,245. Colgate-Palmolive has a 52 week low of $75.50 and a 52 week high of $109.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 9.46, a quick ratio of 0.68 and a current ratio of 1.04. The firm's fifty day moving average is $98.10 and its 200 day moving average is $98.51. The stock has a market cap of $77.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.19, a P/E/G ratio of 3.34 and a beta of 0.42.

Colgate-Palmolive Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on CL. TD Cowen cut their target price on Colgate-Palmolive from $115.00 to $110.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut Colgate-Palmolive from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and lifted their target price for the company from $107.00 to $109.00 in a research report on Monday, September 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $113.00 to $114.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, October 11th. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $119.00 to $122.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 4th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein raised their target price on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $100.00 to $103.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $105.11.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Colgate-Palmolive news, CFO Stanley J. Sutula III sold 45,410 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $94.11, for a total transaction of $4,273,535.10. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 36,726 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,456,283.86. The trade was a 55.29 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.34% 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.