Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) Given Average Recommendation of "Hold" by Brokerages

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL - Get Free Report) has been given a consensus recommendation of "Hold" by the twenty-one ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $102.17.

CL has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Barclays cut their target price on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $89.00 to $86.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Colgate-Palmolive from $99.00 to $95.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 11th. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Colgate-Palmolive from $111.00 to $104.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $83.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Finally, UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $105.00 to $109.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 17th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of CL. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive during the fourth quarter valued at $912,375,000. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Colgate-Palmolive during the 4th quarter worth $348,718,000. AMF Tjanstepension AB raised its position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 1,088.8% during 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. Barclays PLC lifted its stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 38.7% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 7,644,189 shares of the company's stock valued at $793,542,000 after purchasing an additional 2,132,747 shares during the period. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG boosted its position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 35.6% in the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 6,922,994 shares of the company's stock worth $629,369,000 after purchasing an additional 1,816,865 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.41% of the company's stock.

Colgate-Palmolive Stock Down 1.3 %

Shares of NYSE:CL traded down $1.23 on Tuesday, reaching $92.66. The company had a trading volume of 11,290,917 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,646,599. The stock has a market capitalization of $75.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.32, a P/E/G ratio of 4.20 and a beta of 0.40. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $91.78 and a 200 day moving average price of $92.31. 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.

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $0.91 earnings per share (EPS) 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 in the previous year, the company earned $0.87 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that Colgate-Palmolive will post 3.75 EPS for the current year.

Colgate-Palmolive announced that its board has approved a stock buyback plan on Thursday, March 20th that authorizes the company to buyback $5.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to repurchase up to 6.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are usually a sign that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Colgate-Palmolive Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 17th will be given a $0.52 dividend. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.24%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 17th. This is a boost from Colgate-Palmolive's previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. Colgate-Palmolive's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 59.09%.

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.