Leavell Investment Management Inc. Sells 243 Shares of Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL)

Leavell Investment Management Inc. trimmed its position in Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) by 0.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 40,341 shares of the company’s stock after selling 243 shares during the quarter. Leavell Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Colgate-Palmolive were worth $3,667,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC increased its stake in Colgate-Palmolive by 16.2% in the 4th quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC now owns 6,752 shares of the company’s stock worth $591,000 after acquiring an additional 943 shares during the last quarter. Peak Financial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Colgate-Palmolive in the fourth quarter worth $1,315,000. Gordian Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Colgate-Palmolive during the third quarter valued at $602,000. Carrera Capital Advisors lifted its position in Colgate-Palmolive by 23.1% during the third quarter. Carrera Capital Advisors now owns 39,170 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,066,000 after purchasing an additional 7,353 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fiduciary Alliance LLC purchased a new position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive in the 4th quarter worth $4,066,000. 80.41% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Colgate-Palmolive Stock Performance

Colgate-Palmolive stock opened at $86.75 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 9.46, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a current ratio of 0.41. The company has a market capitalization of $70.88 billion, a PE ratio of 24.64, a P/E/G ratio of 4.12 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $90.00 and a 200-day moving average price of $96.61. Colgate-Palmolive has a fifty-two week low of $82.76 and a fifty-two week high of $109.30.

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 quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.87 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Colgate-Palmolive will post 3.73 earnings per share for the current year.

Colgate-Palmolive Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 14th. Investors of record on Tuesday, January 21st will be paid a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.31%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, January 21st. Colgate-Palmolive’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 56.82%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $103.00 to $97.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Colgate-Palmolive from $92.00 to $83.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and set a $101.00 target price on shares of Colgate-Palmolive in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Colgate-Palmolive from $111.00 to $104.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Raymond James reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $105.00 price objective (down previously from $110.00) on shares of Colgate-Palmolive in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price 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.