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

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

A number of other brokerages have also recently issued reports on CL. 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 report on Monday, February 3rd. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on Colgate-Palmolive from $95.00 to $93.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on Colgate-Palmolive from $111.00 to $104.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 3rd. UBS Group decreased their price target on Colgate-Palmolive from $104.00 to $100.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $101.00 price target on shares of Colgate-Palmolive in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. One research 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’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $101.61.

Colgate-Palmolive Stock Up 0.9 %

Shares of NYSE:CL opened at $91.87 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 13.40, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a current ratio of 0.92. Colgate-Palmolive has a 1 year low of $85.32 and a 1 year high of $109.30. The stock has a market capitalization of $74.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.10, a PEG ratio of 4.20 and a beta of 0.44. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $88.72 and a 200-day simple moving average of $95.27.

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) last issued its earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $0.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.87 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that Colgate-Palmolive will post 3.75 earnings per share for the current year.

Colgate-Palmolive Dividend Announcement

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Colgate-Palmolive

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

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.