CL Colgate-Palmolive
$93.22
▲ 0.6%Updated Oct 16, 2:25 PM ET
Report Card
CL at a glance — five pillars scored 0–100 from real filed financials.
How the 0–100 rating is calculatedOverall: Weak · 37/100. A wider, greener shape means more pillars look healthy. Dividends scores 0 when a company pays none — that is a choice, not a flaw.
Price — Past Year
▲ Up 1.5% in the year to Jul 6, 2026
Key Metrics
Market Cap
$76.12B
P/E
36x
Forward P/E (est.)
49.32x
ROE
475.1%
Revenue Growth
4.3%
EPS Growth
-27.0%
Profit Margin
10.0%
FCF Yield
3.0%
Debt / Equity
147.93x
ROIC
32.0%
Interest Coverage
—
Current Ratio
1.03x
Dividend Yield
2.3%
Implied Growth (rev. DCF)
4.0%
Rating Score
37/100
Business Overview
Colgate-Palmolive (CL) is a large-cap company in the Household Products industry, part of the Consumer Staples sector of the S&P 500, with a market value around $76.12B.
In its latest reported year it generated about $20.38B in revenue and $2.13B in net profit.
Our model rates CL Weak (37/100) on growth, profitability, financial health, and valuation. The summary below is built from its filed financials and current ratios and refreshes automatically.
Economic Moat
Evidence of durable competitive advantage in the filed financials (10 years of history).
Profit margins and economic moats, explainedThe filed history looks like a business competitors struggle to attack: high and steady margins, revenue that grows through cycles, and strong returns on capital.
59.6% average over the last 3 years
±1.1 pts around 59.5% across 10 years
grew in 9 of the last 9 year-over-year periods
positive in 10 of 10 years
32.0% latest fiscal year
A moat can't be proven by numbers alone — this scores the evidence a durable advantage leaves behind (pricing power, consistency, returns on capital), computed the same way for every stock. Pair it with the business overview before concluding anything.
Technical Analysis (Educational)
Technical analysis reads price and volume to judge momentum and timing. It complements the fundamentals above — it does not replace them. Here is what CL's chart says today, with each tool explained.
Trend — moving averages. A moving average is the average closing price over a window, which smooths out daily noise. CL trades near $93.22, above its 50-day average ($88.64) and 200-day average ($84.77). Price above both averages, with the shorter one above the longer, is the textbook definition of an uptrend — momentum favours buyers.
Momentum — RSI. The Relative Strength Index runs 0–100 and measures how strong recent gains are versus losses. Above 70 is "overbought", below 30 "oversold". At 72 it is overbought — the recent rally is stretched and can cool off.
MACD. MACD compares two moving averages to flag shifts in momentum. Its histogram is currently positive — short-term momentum is improving.
Volatility — ATR. Average True Range is the typical daily move. CL's is $1.86 (~2.0% of price), so swings of about that size each day are normal — handy for setting a stop that isn't too tight.
Support & resistance. In the month to Jul 6, 2026, CL found buyers near $84.30 (support) and sellers near $95.42 (resistance); its 52-week range then was $74.55–$99.33. A decisive break beyond either edge often marks the next move.
Volume. The latest session traded 0.8× the 20-day average — about normal. Rising volume on up-days suggests real buying; on down-days, real selling.
Educational information to help you read a chart — not a recommendation or a forecast. The indicators were last computed on Jul 6, 2026; the price is current.
Revenue Growth
4Y CAGR
4.0%
Revenue moved from $15.20B in 2016 to $20.38B in 2025, a 3.3% compound annual growth rate. The most recent year was roughly flat (4.3%) year over year. Slower, mature growth is common for established businesses.
Profitability
Gross Margin
60.1%
Operating Margin
16.2%
Net Margin
10.5%
ROE
475.1%
Colgate-Palmolive keeps about 10.0% of each sales dollar as net profit, with a 60.1% gross margin and 16.2% operating margin. Return on equity is 475.1% and return on invested capital about 32.0%. Margins are moderate — typical of a competitive but profitable business.
Debt Analysis
Total Debt
$7.84B
Net Debt
$6.47B
Net Debt / EBITDA
1.96x
Debt / Equity
147.93x
Leverage: debt-to-equity is 147.9x, with a current ratio of 1.0x. That is elevated leverage, which raises risk if earnings or rates move against it. It carries roughly $7.84B of total debt against $1.37B of cash.
Cash Flow Analysis
Operating CF
$4.20B
Free Cash Flow
$3.63B
FCF Margin
17.8%
In the latest year Colgate-Palmolive produced about $4.20B of operating cash flow and $3.63B of free cash flow after capital spending. That is a free-cash-flow yield of about 3.0% on today's price. Cash flow is what ultimately pays shareholders, so it is worth tracking over time.
Valuation Analysis
P/E
36x
P/S
3.58x
P/B
—
EV / EBITDA
—
CL trades at 36.0x trailing earnings (about 49.3x on estimated forward earnings), 3.6x sales. Reverse-engineering today's price implies the market expects roughly 4.0% long-term free-cash-flow growth. That is a premium multiple that needs growth to justify it.
DCF Fair Value (Educational)
A two-stage discounted cash flow on real SEC-filed free cash flow — the intrinsic-value anchor professional analysts triangulate from.
How this DCF estimate is calculatedDCF fair value / share
$79.38
Current price
$93.22
Starting FCF (latest 10-K)
$3.63B
Growth, years 1–5
4.3%
Fade to terminal, years 6–10
2.5%
Discount rate
9.0%
Cash flows grow at the stage-1 rate (trailing revenue growth, capped at 20%) for five years, fade to 2.5% by year 10, and continue at that rate forever (Gordon terminal value), all discounted at 9.0%. Small changes in assumptions move the result a lot — treat this as one reference point, not a target price. Educational only, not investment advice.
Metrics vs. Sector Range
Where CL sits versus the Consumer Staples companies we cover.
Bands show the middle half (25th–75th percentile) of the 48 Consumer Staples companies in our coverage that have fundamentals data — the peer-relative anchor professional comps analysis uses. Context only — not investment advice.
Sector Peer Comparison
How CL stacks up against its Consumer Staples peers — valuation, profitability, and growth versus the sector median.
Among the 48 rated Consumer Staples companies we cover, CL ranks #38 by our overall rating. It trades at a premium versus the sector on earnings (36x P/E vs. 22x median) with a higher return on equity (475.1% vs. 18.1%) and faster revenue growth (4.3% vs. 3.4%).
P/E vs sector
36x
median 22x
ROE vs sector
475.1%
median 18.1%
Growth vs sector
4.3%
median 3.4%
Sector rank
#38
of 48 rated
Valuation vs. quality map
The sweet spot is upper-left: more profitable (higher ROE) for a lower P/E. Dashed lines mark the sector median.
Peers are the closest Consumer Staples companies by sub-industry and size, preferring ones with full data. Sector medians and rank use the 48 rated companies among the 74 Consumer Staples stocks we cover. Educational, not a recommendation.
5-Year Projection Model
Project revenue → earnings → price. Edit the assumptions to build your own case.
What drives this projection, and its limits2030 scenario price range (Base Case)
$66.81 – $109.32
vs. $93.22 today · implied CAGR -6% – 3%
| Metric | 2026 | 2027 | 2028 | 2029 | 2030 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $21.20B | $22.05B | $22.93B | $23.84B | $24.80B |
| Net income | $2.12B | $2.20B | $2.29B | $2.38B | $2.48B |
| EPS | $2.60 | $2.70 | $2.81 | $2.92 | $3.04 |
| Share price (low) | $57.11 | $59.39 | $61.77 | $64.24 | $66.81 |
| Share price (high) | $93.45 | $97.19 | $101.08 | $105.12 | $109.32 |
| CAGR (low–high) | -39% / 0% | -20% / 2% | -13% / 3% | -9% / 3% | -6% / 3% |
Educational scenario model, not a forecast or investment advice. It starts from the latest annual revenue in SEC filings. By default, growth is trailing revenue growth (held between 3% and 45% a year), the net margin is the latest one (held between 3% and 50%, so a loss-making company is modeled with a small profit), and the Base case P/E runs from 60% to 100% of today's. Carrying recent growth forward five years can miss badly in either direction. Outputs are only as good as the assumptions.
Bull Case
The case for CL:
- Strong return on equity (475.1%) shows capital is put to work well.
- Pays a 2.3% dividend on top of any price gains.
Bear Case
The case against CL:
- Elevated leverage (debt/equity 147.9x) adds financial risk.
- Our model's overall read is Weak (37/100).
Key Risks
Valuation risk — at 36.0x earnings, disappointing results could compress the multiple.
Balance-sheet risk — debt/equity of 147.9x magnifies the impact of higher rates or weaker earnings.
Market risk — sector rotation, the economic cycle, and broad sentiment move the stock regardless of fundamentals.
Investment Thesis
On balance, the fundamentals screen weakly: Colgate-Palmolive is a large-cap consumer staples business growing at a mature pace, with modest profitability, and a heavier debt load to watch. It trades at 36.0x earnings, which our model scores Weak (37/100). Weigh this against your own goals and time horizon — this is educational information, not a recommendation.
Analyst Ratings
What 31 Wall Street analysts covering CL recommend (September 2026). Consensus is a useful sanity check — not a substitute for your own homework.
Latest SEC Filings
CL's most recent filings, straight from SEC EDGAR. Annual and quarterly reports are the deep dives; 8-Ks flag material events the moment they happen. How to read a 10-K
In the Idea Lab
CL — frequently asked questions
Is CL a good stock to buy?
We don't give buy or sell advice. Our model rates Colgate-Palmolive Weak (37/100) based on its growth, profitability, financial health, and valuation — use that as a research starting point and make your own decision.
What is CL's rating on The Stocks School?
Colgate-Palmolive currently scores 37/100 (Weak) on our transparent model, which weighs real fundamentals: growth, margins, returns on capital, balance-sheet strength, and valuation.
How our ratings work →Where does CL's data come from?
Live price data plus real fundamentals and 5-year financials pulled directly from Colgate-Palmolive's SEC filings — refreshed automatically, not hand-entered.
How is the 5-year projection for CL calculated?
It's a scenario model. It starts from the latest annual revenue and net margin in SEC filings, grows revenue at an assumed rate (trailing revenue growth by default), and applies a P/E range built around today's multiple to show the resulting share-price range. When a stock has no growth or P/E data, the starting values are placeholders. It's a tool for thinking, not a prediction.
Is this CL analysis financial advice?
No. Everything on this page is educational research, not financial advice or a recommendation to buy or sell CL. Always do your own research and consider a licensed professional.
Data notice. Fundamentals and financial statements are sourced from company filings (SEC EDGAR) and market-data providers; prices and market caps refresh on trading days and may be delayed. Ratings, projections, technical signals, and written summaries are model- or rule-generated for education and may simplify or lag the latest filings.
Not advice. Nothing on this page is investment advice or a recommendation to buy, hold, or sell any security. Do your own research and consult a licensed financial professional before investing.