Townsquare Capital LLC Has $1.95 Million Stake in Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL)

Townsquare Capital LLC lowered its holdings in Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL - Free Report) by 61.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 21,440 shares of the company's stock after selling 33,910 shares during the quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC's holdings in Colgate-Palmolive were worth $1,949,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC purchased a new position in Colgate-Palmolive in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Centricity Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Colgate-Palmolive during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA purchased a new stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive during the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Briaud Financial Planning Inc bought a new position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive in the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Wintrust Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive in the fourth quarter valued at $33,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.41% of the company's stock.

Colgate-Palmolive Stock Down 0.8 %

CL opened at $93.48 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $75.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.56, a P/E/G ratio of 4.20 and a beta of 0.40. Colgate-Palmolive has a 12 month low of $85.32 and a 12 month high of $109.30. The business's 50-day moving average price is $90.96 and its 200-day moving average price is $92.53. 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 (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, equities analysts expect that Colgate-Palmolive will post 3.75 EPS for the current year.

Colgate-Palmolive Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 17th will be given a dividend of $0.52 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 17th. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.23%. This is a boost from Colgate-Palmolive's previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. Colgate-Palmolive's dividend payout ratio is presently 59.09%.

Colgate-Palmolive declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, March 20th that permits the company to buyback $5.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to purchase up to 6.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are usually an indication that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have weighed in on CL shares. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on Colgate-Palmolive from $111.00 to $104.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Raymond James reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $105.00 target price (down from $110.00) on shares of Colgate-Palmolive in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $95.00 to $93.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $99.00 to $95.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 11th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Colgate-Palmolive from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Colgate-Palmolive has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $101.67.

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.

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