Colgate-Palmolive Company $CL Stock: Sterling Capital Management LLC Raises Position

Posted by Brian Himes on Oct 25th, 2026

Sterling Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Colgate-Palmolive Company (NYSE:CL – Free Report) by 31.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 51,773 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 12,365 shares during the quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Colgate-Palmolive were worth $4,417,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. State Street Corp grew its position in Colgate-Palmolive by 97.4% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 94,195,992 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,635,889,000 after purchasing an additional 46,476,510 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its stake in Colgate-Palmolive by 172.5% during the 1st quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 12,521,545 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,067,211,000 after purchasing an additional 7,927,238 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive in the second quarter valued at $567,483,000. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 266.5% in the second quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 4,146,337 shares of the company’s stock valued at $380,136,000 after purchasing an additional 3,014,860 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its holdings in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 151.4% in the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 4,276,774 shares of the company’s stock valued at $364,894,000 after purchasing an additional 2,575,530 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.41% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Noel R. Wallace sold 161,021 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.92, for a total transaction of $14,801,050.32. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 362,231 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $33,296,273.52. This represents a 30.77% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, COO Panagiotis Tsourapas sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.05, for a total value of $920,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 64,901 shares in the company, valued at $5,974,137.05. The trade was a 13.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 175,191 shares of company stock valued at $16,110,903 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.43% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently commented on CL. Piper Sandler decreased their target price on Colgate-Palmolive from $98.00 to $95.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, September 21st. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Colgate-Palmolive in a research report on Thursday, August 13th. Barclays increased their price objective on Colgate-Palmolive from $80.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and set a $104.00 price objective (up from $100.00) on shares of Colgate-Palmolive in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, Citigroup raised their price objective on Colgate-Palmolive from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $98.00.

Get Our Latest Research Report on CL

Colgate-Palmolive Stock Down 3.4%

Colgate-Palmolive stock opened at $94.10 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $75.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.34, a P/E/G ratio of 4.55 and a beta of 0.33. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $89.26 and its 200-day simple moving average is $89.35. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 13.82. Colgate-Palmolive Company has a 1-year low of $74.54 and a 1-year high of $99.33.

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 31st. The company reported $0.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.95 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $5.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.36 billion. Colgate-Palmolive had a net margin of 9.68% and a return on equity of 464.63%. Colgate-Palmolive’s quarterly revenue was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.92 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Colgate-Palmolive Company will post 3.87 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Colgate-Palmolive Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 13th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, October 20th will be issued a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, October 20th. Colgate-Palmolive’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 84.13%.

More Colgate-Palmolive News

Here are the key news stories impacting Colgate-Palmolive this week:

Positive Sentiment: Analysts expect earnings growth, and Zacks says Colgate-Palmolive has a favorable combination of earnings estimates and historical earnings surprises that could support a quarterly beat. Colgate-Palmolive earnings expectations
Positive Sentiment: Recent coverage has highlighted strong toothpaste performance, while Colgate-Palmolive India reported 12.2% revenue growth, 4.3% profit growth and modest gross-margin expansion. These results may offer some support for the broader brand portfolio, although the Indian subsidiary is not the same entity as the U.S.-listed parent. Colgate-Palmolive India quarterly results
Neutral Sentiment: Options activity was elevated, with investors purchasing 4,443 put contracts—about 71% above typical volume—signaling increased hedging or bearish positioning ahead of the report, but not necessarily confirming a change in fundamentals.
Neutral Sentiment: Institutional positioning was mixed in the latest quarter: 851 investors added shares while 853 reduced holdings. Analyst targets remain varied, with a reported median of $96, suggesting limited upside relative to recent trading levels.
Negative Sentiment: Investors remain concerned about raw-material and packaging inflation, tariff effects, intense category competition and pressure on consumer spending. Management has also warned that volatile market conditions could persist through the rest of 2026. Colgate-Palmolive defensive rally and earnings risks
Negative Sentiment: Insiders have reported five open-market sales and no purchases over the past six months, including substantial sales by CEO Noel Wallace. While insider transactions can reflect personal financial decisions, the lack of buying may weigh on sentiment.

Colgate-Palmolive Profile

(Free Report)

Colgate-Palmolive Company (NYSE: CL) is a global consumer products company focused on oral care, personal care, home care and pet nutrition. Its portfolio includes toothpaste, toothbrushes, mouthwash, liquid hand soap, body wash, deodorants, household cleaning products and pet food and treats.

The company markets well-known brands such as Colgate, Palmolive, elmex, meridol, Softsoap, Irish Spring, Ajax, Protex and Hill’s Science Diet. Colgate-Palmolive also provides veterinary and nutritional products through Hill’s Pet Nutrition, which serves pet owners and animal health professionals.

Founded in 1806 by William Colgate, the company developed from a soap and candle business into a diversified consumer goods manufacturer.