Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA Boosts Stake in Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL)

Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL - Free Report) by 6.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 9,526,990 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 557,492 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA owned 1.17% of Colgate-Palmolive worth $988,997,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of CL. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive during the second quarter worth $25,000. Continuum Advisory LLC lifted its position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 46.5% in the 2nd quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 394 shares of the company's stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares during the period. Reston Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Colgate-Palmolive in the third quarter valued at about $42,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in Colgate-Palmolive during the 3rd quarter worth about $53,000. Finally, Prospera Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive in the third quarter valued at about $64,000. Institutional investors own 80.41% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on CL shares. UBS Group raised their price target 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. Barclays raised their price objective on Colgate-Palmolive from $91.00 to $96.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, July 29th. TD Cowen decreased their target price on Colgate-Palmolive from $115.00 to $110.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 28th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Colgate-Palmolive from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, November 14th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $103.00 to $111.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, July 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $105.11.

Colgate-Palmolive Stock Up 0.5 %

NYSE:CL traded up $0.46 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $94.37. The company had a trading volume of 2,339,004 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,386,980. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $98.56 and its 200-day simple moving average is $98.52. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 9.46. Colgate-Palmolive has a 12-month low of $75.50 and a 12-month high of $109.30. The firm has a market capitalization of $77.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.91, a PEG ratio of 3.34 and a beta of 0.42.

Colgate-Palmolive Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 18th were given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.12%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, October 18th. Colgate-Palmolive's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 57.31%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Stanley J. Sutula III sold 45,410 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $94.11, for a total transaction of $4,273,535.10. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 36,726 shares in the company, valued at $3,456,283.86. This trade represents a 55.29 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Martina Hundmejean sold 2,313 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.86, for a total value of $240,228.18. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 11,755 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,220,874.30. This represents a 16.44 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.34% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.