Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. Raises Stock Holdings in Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL)

Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) by 2.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 34,510 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 965 shares during the quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Colgate-Palmolive were worth $2,751,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of CL. FMR LLC raised its stake in Colgate-Palmolive by 27.3% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 5,597,742 shares of the company’s stock valued at $398,055,000 after buying an additional 1,199,660 shares in the last quarter. AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc acquired a new stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive during the 4th quarter worth approximately $62,728,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 92.2% during the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,436,054 shares of the company’s stock worth $114,468,000 after purchasing an additional 688,733 shares during the period. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 225.4% during the 3rd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 930,072 shares of the company’s stock worth $66,137,000 after purchasing an additional 644,205 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of Nova Scotia raised its position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 188.5% during the 3rd quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 883,272 shares of the company’s stock worth $62,809,000 after purchasing an additional 577,114 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.41% of the company’s stock.

Colgate-Palmolive Stock Performance

Colgate-Palmolive stock traded up $0.35 on Thursday, hitting $89.22. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 3,088,138 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,529,174. The firm has a market cap of $73.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.33 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $87.40 and a 200-day moving average price of $81.25. Colgate-Palmolive has a one year low of $67.62 and a one year high of $90.37. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.59.

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) last announced its earnings results on Friday, January 26th. The company reported $0.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.85 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $4.95 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.89 billion. Colgate-Palmolive had a net margin of 11.82% and a return on equity of 509.75%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.77 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Colgate-Palmolive will post 3.5 earnings per share for the current year.

Colgate-Palmolive Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 22nd will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 19th. This is an increase from Colgate-Palmolive’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.24%. Colgate-Palmolive’s dividend payout ratio is presently 71.94%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

CL has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Colgate-Palmolive from $88.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 18th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on Colgate-Palmolive from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on Colgate-Palmolive in a research note on Friday, March 1st. They issued a “buy” rating and a $93.00 price objective on the stock. UBS Group boosted their price objective on Colgate-Palmolive from $93.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 29th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Colgate-Palmolive from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 20th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Colgate-Palmolive presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $89.50.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Noel R. Wallace sold 50,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $83.15, for a total value of $4,157,500.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 274,179 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,797,983.85. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, Director C Martin Harris sold 2,760 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $84.50, for a total transaction of $233,220.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 19,272 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,628,484. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Noel R. Wallace sold 50,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $83.15, for a total value of $4,157,500.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 274,179 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,797,983.85. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 232,371 shares of company stock valued at $19,505,099. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.