Stock Traders Buy High Volume of Colgate-Palmolive Call Options (NYSE:CL)

Colgate-Palmolive Company (NYSE:CL) saw unusually large options trading on Tuesday. Investors purchased 7,951 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of 75% compared to the average daily volume of 4,539 call options.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Colgate-Palmolive

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 4.4% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 10,578 shares of the company’s stock valued at $962,000 after acquiring an additional 450 shares during the period. Woodline Partners LP raised its holdings in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 76.3% in the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 46,361 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,344,000 after purchasing an additional 20,062 shares during the period. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. lifted its stake in Colgate-Palmolive by 2.0% in the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 12,494 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,136,000 after purchasing an additional 245 shares during the last quarter. Nebula Research & Development LLC lifted its stake in Colgate-Palmolive by 165.5% in the 2nd quarter. Nebula Research & Development LLC now owns 10,326 shares of the company’s stock valued at $939,000 after purchasing an additional 6,437 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sei Investments Co. grew its holdings in Colgate-Palmolive by 21.7% during the second quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 657,093 shares of the company’s stock worth $59,732,000 after purchasing an additional 116,968 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.41% of the company’s stock.

Colgate-Palmolive Trading Up 1.0%

Shares of NYSE:CL opened at $92.63 on Thursday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $88.54 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $87.44. Colgate-Palmolive has a one year low of $74.54 and a one year high of $99.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 16.33, a current ratio of 1.02 and a quick ratio of 0.67. The stock has a market capitalization of $74.12 billion, a PE ratio of 36.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.83 and a beta of 0.33.

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 1st. The company reported $0.97 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.94 by $0.03. Colgate-Palmolive had a return on equity of 386.76% and a net margin of 10.04%.The company had revenue of $5.32 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.22 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.91 EPS. Colgate-Palmolive’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that Colgate-Palmolive will post 3.81 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Colgate-Palmolive Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, July 20th will be given a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 20th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. Colgate-Palmolive’s payout ratio is 82.49%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Colgate-Palmolive from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, March 29th. Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on Colgate-Palmolive in a report on Thursday, June 11th. They set a “market perform” rating and a $96.00 target price for the company. Barclays lifted their price target on Colgate-Palmolive from $79.00 to $80.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. Bank of America cut their price target on Colgate-Palmolive from $105.00 to $102.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 10th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $99.00 price objective on shares of Colgate-Palmolive in a report on Monday, May 4th. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $95.88.

Colgate-Palmolive Company Profile

Colgate-Palmolive Company is a global consumer products company with a long history in household and personal care categories. The business traces its roots to the early 19th century and has evolved into a multinational manufacturer and marketer of everyday consumer goods focused on health, hygiene and home care.

The company’s core activities center on oral care, personal care, home care and pet nutrition. Its product portfolio includes toothpaste, toothbrushes and mouthwash in oral care; soaps, body washes and deodorants in personal care; dishwashing liquids, surface cleaners and other household products in home care; and scientifically formulated pet foods under its pet nutrition business.