U.S. stocks edge higher; solid earnings season continues
Investing.com - Evercore ISI has reiterated an Outperform rating on Colgate-Palmolive Company (NYSE:CL) with a price target of $100.00, representing significant upside from the current price of $83.28. According to InvestingPro data, the stock is currently trading near its 52-week low of $82.70, while analyst targets range from $83 to $106.
The research firm noted that Colgate’s strategy is working effectively, as the company posted 2% organic sales growth against a challenging 9% comparative baseline, despite increased consumer and retail volatility in key global markets. The company maintains impressive gross profit margins of 60.62% and has achieved 5% revenue growth over the past year, reaching $20 billion in revenue.
Evercore ISI observed that Colgate’s 2025 earnings delivery has become more dependent on the company’s ability to manage operating expenses, which the analyst described as an area where the firm excels, having maintained both gross margins and advertising levels in the first two quarters. With a beta of 0.37, the stock demonstrates relatively low volatility, making it an attractive consideration for defensive investors. Get deeper insights into Colgate’s financial health and 12 additional exclusive ProTips with InvestingPro.
The firm acknowledged that weakening macroeconomic conditions in Latin America pose a risk to Colgate’s performance, but expressed encouragement that regional volumes remained flat despite Colgate taking the price lead to recover foreign exchange impacts.
Evercore ISI also highlighted Colgate’s resilience in Brazil, where the company faced destocking challenges that led to sales declines for Unilever (LON:ULVR), which the analyst identified as Brazil’s largest consumer packaged goods company.
In other recent news, Colgate-Palmolive Company reported its second-quarter earnings for 2025, surpassing analyst expectations. The company achieved an earnings per share (EPS) of $0.92, slightly above the forecasted $0.90. Additionally, Colgate-Palmolive exceeded revenue forecasts, reporting $5.11 billion against the anticipated $5.03 billion. Despite these positive financial results, investor sentiment remains mixed, as indicated by a 2.4% decline in pre-market trading. UBS maintained its Buy rating for the company, with a price target of $106.00, even as investor sentiment became more varied compared to previous quarters. The investment bank highlighted Colgate-Palmolive’s organic sales growth and earnings performance as exceeding both UBS and Street expectations. These developments reflect the ongoing analysis and adjustments by financial analysts and investors regarding Colgate-Palmolive’s market position and future prospects.
This article was generated with the support of AI and reviewed by an editor. For more information see our T&C.