Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) Shares Sold by NatWest Group plc

NatWest Group plc lowered its position in Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL - Free Report) by 44.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 60,637 shares of the company's stock after selling 48,787 shares during the period. Colgate-Palmolive accounts for approximately 1.6% of NatWest Group plc's portfolio, making the stock its 27th biggest holding. NatWest Group plc's holdings in Colgate-Palmolive were worth $5,513,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA acquired a new position in Colgate-Palmolive in the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Hager Investment Management Services LLC purchased a new stake in Colgate-Palmolive during the fourth quarter worth approximately $36,000. Reston Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Colgate-Palmolive during the third quarter worth approximately $42,000. Synergy Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Colgate-Palmolive during the fourth quarter worth approximately $49,000. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new stake in Colgate-Palmolive during the third quarter worth approximately $53,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.41% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on CL shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Colgate-Palmolive from $103.00 to $97.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Raymond James reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $105.00 price objective (down previously from $110.00) on shares of Colgate-Palmolive in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Colgate-Palmolive from $111.00 to $104.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a "sector perform" rating and issued a $101.00 price objective on shares of Colgate-Palmolive in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, StockNews.com cut Colgate-Palmolive from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Colgate-Palmolive presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $101.16.

Colgate-Palmolive Price Performance

NYSE:CL traded down $0.82 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $85.94. The company's stock had a trading volume of 4,162,330 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,200,943. Colgate-Palmolive has a 52-week low of $82.68 and a 52-week high of $109.30. The company has a market capitalization of $70.21 billion, a PE ratio of 24.41, a PEG ratio of 4.12 and a beta of 0.44. The business's 50-day moving average is $90.36 and its two-hundred day moving average is $96.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 9.46, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a current ratio of 0.41.

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $0.91 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 period in the previous year, the company earned $0.87 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Colgate-Palmolive will post 3.73 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Colgate-Palmolive Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 14th. Investors of record on Tuesday, January 21st will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.33%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, January 21st. Colgate-Palmolive's dividend payout ratio is presently 56.82%.

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.