Colgate-Palmolive Beats Up on Analysts Yet Again

Seth Jayson, The Motley Fool
Updated

Colgate-Palmolive (NYS: CL) reported earnings on Jan. 26. Here are the numbers you need to know.

The 10-second takeaway
For the quarter ended Dec. 31 (Q4), Colgate-Palmolive met expectations on revenue and beat expectations on earnings per share.

Compared to the prior-year quarter, revenue increased, and earnings per share dropped.

Margins shrank across the board.

Revenue details
Colgate-Palmolive logged revenue of $4.17 billion. The 18 analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ expected revenue of $4.18 billion. Sales were 4.9% higher than the prior-year quarter's $3.98 billion.

anImage
anImage

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Dollar amounts in millions.

EPS details
Non-GAAP EPS came in at $1.30. The 22 earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ averaged $1.30 per share on the same basis. GAAP EPS of $1.21 for Q4 were 3.1% lower than the prior-year quarter's $1.25 per share.

anImage
anImage

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Figures may be non-GAAP to maintain comparability with estimates.

Margin details
For the quarter, gross margin was 57.4%, 170 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 22.1%, 250 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 14.1%, 160 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead
Next quarter's average estimate for revenue is $4.16 billion. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $1.27.

Next year's average estimate for revenue is $17.26 billion. The average EPS estimate is $5.48.

Investor sentiment
The stock has a four-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 1,257 members out of 1,309 rating the stock outperform, and 52 members rating it underperform. Among 491 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 479 give Colgate-Palmolive a green thumbs-up, and 12 give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on Colgate-Palmolive is hold, with an average price target of $93.95.

Can your portfolio provide you with enough income to last through retirement? You'll need more than Colgate-Palmolive. Learn how to maximize your investment income and "Secure Your Future With 11 Rock-Solid Dividend Stocks." Click here for instant access to this free report.

At the time thisarticle was published Seth Jayson had no position in any company mentioned here at the time of publication. You can view his stock holdings here. He is co-advisor ofMotley Fool Hidden Gems, which provides new small-cap ideas every month, backed by a real-money portfolio. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Copyright © 1995 - 2012 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Advertisement