Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) Upgraded at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL - Free Report) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note released on Monday morning.

CL has been the topic of a number of other research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $103.00 to $97.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on Colgate-Palmolive from $95.00 to $93.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Barclays reduced their price target on Colgate-Palmolive from $96.00 to $83.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 17th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on Colgate-Palmolive from $111.00 to $104.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Raymond James reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $105.00 target price (down from $110.00) on shares of Colgate-Palmolive in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Colgate-Palmolive presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $101.61.

Colgate-Palmolive Trading Up 0.9 %

Shares of CL traded up $0.81 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $91.87. The company had a trading volume of 3,446,465 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,102,024. The firm has a market cap of $74.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.10, a P/E/G ratio of 4.20 and a beta of 0.44. Colgate-Palmolive has a 52-week low of $85.32 and a 52-week high of $109.30. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $88.73 and its 200 day moving average price is $95.29. 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 quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $0.91 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 prior year, the company earned $0.87 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that Colgate-Palmolive will post 3.75 EPS for the current year.

Colgate-Palmolive Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, January 21st were paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.18%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, January 21st. Colgate-Palmolive's dividend payout ratio is 56.82%.

Institutional Trading of Colgate-Palmolive

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in CL. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in Colgate-Palmolive in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Centricity Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive in the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in Colgate-Palmolive in the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA purchased a new stake in Colgate-Palmolive during the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, Briaud Financial Planning Inc bought a new stake in Colgate-Palmolive during the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. 80.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Colgate-Palmolive Company Profile

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.