Villere ST Denis J & Co. LLC Cuts Stock Holdings in Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL)

Villere ST Denis J & Co. LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) by 0.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 258,716 shares of the company’s stock after selling 967 shares during the period. Colgate-Palmolive comprises approximately 2.1% of Villere ST Denis J & Co. LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 27th largest position. Villere ST Denis J & Co. LLC’s holdings in Colgate-Palmolive were worth $23,520,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. D Orazio & Associates Inc. raised its stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 3.9% during the third quarter. D Orazio & Associates Inc. now owns 2,862 shares of the company’s stock valued at $297,000 after acquiring an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. Fiducient Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 5.2% during the third quarter. Fiducient Advisors LLC now owns 2,231 shares of the company’s stock valued at $232,000 after acquiring an additional 110 shares during the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 0.6% during the third quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 20,392 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,117,000 after acquiring an additional 113 shares during the last quarter. Waldron Private Wealth LLC raised its stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 2.1% during the third quarter. Waldron Private Wealth LLC now owns 5,632 shares of the company’s stock valued at $585,000 after acquiring an additional 118 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Commonwealth Financial Services LLC raised its stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 4.5% during the fourth quarter. Commonwealth Financial Services LLC now owns 2,716 shares of the company’s stock valued at $247,000 after acquiring an additional 118 shares during the last quarter. 80.41% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Colgate-Palmolive Trading Down 1.9 %

Shares of CL stock opened at $86.10 on Friday. Colgate-Palmolive has a 12-month low of $83.20 and a 12-month high of $109.30. The company has a current ratio of 0.41, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 9.46. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $89.69 and its 200 day moving average is $96.48. The stock has a market capitalization of $70.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.46, a P/E/G ratio of 4.12 and a beta of 0.44.

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 the consensus estimate of $0.90 by $0.01. Colgate-Palmolive had a net margin of 14.38% and a return on equity of 477.77%. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.87 EPS. Research analysts expect that Colgate-Palmolive will post 3.73 earnings per share for the current year.

Colgate-Palmolive Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Investors of record on Tuesday, January 21st were issued a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.32%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, January 21st. Colgate-Palmolive’s dividend payout ratio is currently 56.82%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Raymond James reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $105.00 price objective (down from $110.00) on shares of Colgate-Palmolive in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and issued a $101.00 price target on shares of Colgate-Palmolive in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $103.00 to $97.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $104.00 to $100.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, TD Cowen decreased their price target on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $110.00 to $100.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. One equities 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.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $101.16.

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.