Natixis Raises Stake in Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL)

Natixis boosted its position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) by 25.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 190,167 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 38,829 shares during the quarter. Natixis’ holdings in Colgate-Palmolive were worth $17,288,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive in the 4th quarter valued at about $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 bought a new position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive in the 4th quarter worth $32,000. Briaud Financial Planning Inc bought a new stake in Colgate-Palmolive during the fourth quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, Wintrust Investments LLC bought a new position in Colgate-Palmolive in the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.41% of the company’s stock.

Colgate-Palmolive Stock Up 2.1 %

Shares of CL opened at $95.49 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $77.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.13, a PEG ratio of 4.20 and a beta of 0.40. Colgate-Palmolive has a 52 week low of $85.32 and a 52 week high of $109.30. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $91.31 and its 200-day moving average price is $92.36. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 13.40.

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $0.91 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 last year, the firm posted $0.87 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Colgate-Palmolive will post 3.75 EPS for the current year.

Colgate-Palmolive announced that its board has initiated a stock repurchase program on Thursday, March 20th that permits the company to buyback $5.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to purchase up to 6.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Colgate-Palmolive Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 17th will be issued a $0.52 dividend. This is a boost from Colgate-Palmolive’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 17th. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.18%. Colgate-Palmolive’s payout ratio is presently 59.09%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

CL has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $95.00 to $93.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. UBS Group raised their price objective on Colgate-Palmolive from $105.00 to $109.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. Piper Sandler decreased their price target on Colgate-Palmolive from $108.00 to $107.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 31st. Raymond James restated an “outperform” rating and set a $105.00 price target (down previously from $110.00) on shares of Colgate-Palmolive in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $111.00 to $104.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. One research 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. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $102.17.

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.