Boit C F David Sells 2,400 Shares of Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL)

Boit C F David trimmed its holdings in shares of Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) by 11.7% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 18,200 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,400 shares during the quarter. Boit C F David’s holdings in Colgate-Palmolive were worth $1,655,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA acquired a new position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive in the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Reston Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Colgate-Palmolive during the third quarter worth $42,000. Synergy Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Colgate-Palmolive during the fourth quarter valued at $49,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in Colgate-Palmolive during the 3rd quarter worth about $53,000. Finally, Prospera Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive in the 3rd quarter worth about $64,000. 80.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Colgate-Palmolive Stock Performance

Shares of CL stock opened at $86.64 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 9.46, a quick ratio of 0.68 and a current ratio of 1.04. The firm has a market cap of $70.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.82, a P/E/G ratio of 3.70 and a beta of 0.44. Colgate-Palmolive has a 52 week low of $82.68 and a 52 week high of $109.30. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $91.35 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $97.17.

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $0.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.90 by $0.01. Colgate-Palmolive had a return on equity of 405.81% and a net margin of 14.27%. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.87 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Colgate-Palmolive will post 3.58 earnings per share for the current year.

Colgate-Palmolive Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 14th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, January 21st will be given a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.31%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, January 21st. Colgate-Palmolive’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 57.31%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have issued reports on CL shares. StockNews.com lowered Colgate-Palmolive from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 9th. UBS Group cut their price objective on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $112.00 to $104.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on Colgate-Palmolive from $101.00 to $95.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Colgate-Palmolive from $92.00 to $83.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $101.00 price target on shares of Colgate-Palmolive in a research note on Wednesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Colgate-Palmolive has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $102.00.

Insider Activity at Colgate-Palmolive

In other Colgate-Palmolive news, CFO Stanley J. Sutula III sold 45,410 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $94.11, for a total value of $4,273,535.10. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 36,726 shares in the company, valued at $3,456,283.86. This represents a 55.29 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by corporate 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.