Mizuho Securities USA LLC Acquires 24,450 Shares of Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL)

Mizuho Securities USA LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL - Free Report) by 46.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 77,434 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 24,450 shares during the period. Mizuho Securities USA LLC's holdings in Colgate-Palmolive were worth $7,040,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in CL. Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Colgate-Palmolive during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $782,000. Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new stake in Colgate-Palmolive in the 4th quarter valued at $1,124,000. Sciencast Management LP grew its position in Colgate-Palmolive by 769.1% in the fourth quarter. Sciencast Management LP now owns 33,503 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,046,000 after acquiring an additional 29,648 shares during the period. Millstone Evans Group LLC acquired a new position in Colgate-Palmolive during the fourth quarter worth $166,000. Finally, Summit Global Investments lifted its holdings in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 74.0% during the fourth quarter. Summit Global Investments now owns 290,029 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,367,000 after acquiring an additional 123,322 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 80.41% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

CL has been the topic of several analyst reports. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $111.00 to $104.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $97.00 to $99.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, March 14th. Barclays increased their price target on Colgate-Palmolive from $83.00 to $89.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a "sector perform" rating and issued a $101.00 price objective on shares of Colgate-Palmolive in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, UBS Group decreased their target price on Colgate-Palmolive from $104.00 to $100.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $102.06.

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Colgate-Palmolive Trading Up 1.3 %

Shares of NYSE:CL traded up $1.22 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $93.25. The company had a trading volume of 2,956,466 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,234,304. The company has a current ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 13.40. Colgate-Palmolive has a 12 month low of $85.32 and a 12 month high of $109.30. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $89.52 and a 200 day simple moving average of $93.81. The stock has a market cap of $75.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.49, a PEG ratio of 4.20 and a beta of 0.40.

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL - Get Free Report) last issued 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 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Colgate-Palmolive will post 3.75 EPS for the current year.

Colgate-Palmolive declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, March 20th that permits the company to repurchase $5.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to buy up to 6.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often a sign that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

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. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 17th. This is a positive change from Colgate-Palmolive's previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.23%. Colgate-Palmolive's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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.