Bridgewater Advisors Inc. Boosts Stock Holdings in Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL)

Bridgewater Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) by 2.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 56,990 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,382 shares during the quarter. Bridgewater Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Colgate-Palmolive were worth $4,996,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Peak Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Colgate-Palmolive in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,315,000. Gordian Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive during the 3rd quarter worth about $602,000. Carrera Capital Advisors raised its holdings in Colgate-Palmolive by 23.1% in the 3rd quarter. Carrera Capital Advisors now owns 39,170 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,066,000 after buying an additional 7,353 shares during the period. Vontobel Holding Ltd. lifted its position in Colgate-Palmolive by 224.6% in the third quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 795,938 shares of the company’s stock valued at $82,626,000 after buying an additional 550,750 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fiduciary Alliance LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive during the fourth quarter valued at about $4,066,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.41% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CL has been the subject of several recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $92.00 to $83.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. UBS Group dropped their target price on Colgate-Palmolive from $112.00 to $104.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. TD Cowen lowered their price objective on Colgate-Palmolive from $110.00 to $100.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on Colgate-Palmolive from $101.00 to $95.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Colgate-Palmolive from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $101.11.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Stanley J. Sutula III sold 45,410 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $94.11, for a total transaction of $4,273,535.10. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 36,726 shares in the company, valued at $3,456,283.86. This represents a 55.29 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction 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 company insiders.

Colgate-Palmolive Stock Performance

Colgate-Palmolive stock opened at $88.79 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 9.46, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 0.68. Colgate-Palmolive has a 12 month low of $79.69 and a 12 month high of $109.30. The company has a market cap of $72.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.01 and a beta of 0.44. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $92.20 and its 200-day moving average is $97.75.

Colgate-Palmolive Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 14th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, January 21st will be paid a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, January 21st. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.25%. Colgate-Palmolive’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 57.31%.

Colgate-Palmolive 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.