Colgate-Palmolive Company
Perfumes, Cosmetics & Other Toilet Preparations
Since its founding in 1806, Colgate-Palmolive has grown into a leading player in the household and personal care industry.
It is a $70.5B consumer staples company. Revenue grew 5.2% over the last year, it keeps 10¢ of every dollar of sales as profit, and its net debt equals ~1.4 years of free cash flow. It trades at 34.5× earnings — in the most expensive third of its own history.
- Website
- colgatepalmolive.com
- Location
- New York, NY
- Employees
- 33 600
- Sector
- Consumer Defensive
Skills
Six independent scores, 0–100, built from reported numbers and valuation history. Click a row to see how it was scored.
Strong profitability, quality and moat; Growth lags behind.
Valuation57
- P/E vs own history73th pct · 5/25
- FCF yield5.5% · 20/25
- P/S3.3x · 20/25
- EV/EBITDA20.3x · 12/25
Growth31
- Revenue CAGR4.0% · 6/25
- Net income CAGR-0.4% · 0/25
- EPS CAGR ~5Y-3.5% · 0/25
- Fwd implied growth60.4% · 25/25
Profitability75
- ROIC37.8% · 25/25
- ROE631.1% · 25/25
- Net margin9.7% · 13/25
- Operating margin14.9% · 12/25
Health67
- Altman Z5.92 · 25/25
- Current ratio1.03 · 12/25
- Interest coverage18.8x · 25/25
- Net cash / debtD/A 34% · 5/25
Quality90
- Piotroski F6/9 · 15/25
- Beneish M-3.03 · 25/25
- FCF conversion189% · 25/25
- Margin stabilityσ 3.1% · 25/25
Moat93
- ROIC >12% years10/10 yrs · 25/25
- Median gross margin59.8% · 25/25
- FCF-positive years10/10 yrs · 25/25
- Worst-year net marginworst 9.9% · 18/25
Experience
The company's career so far — founding, the IPO, landmark products and acquisitions, plus revenue milestones and insider buying.
- FY2024FinancialBest year on record$2.89B net income
- FY2016FinancialProfitable every year on record10 consecutive profitable years in our data
- FY2016FinancialRevenue already above $10B$15.2B in first reported year
- FY2016FinancialPositive free cash flow every year since10-year streak
- 1953MilestoneThe companies became a joint venture, known as the Colgate-Palmolive Company
- Jul 1, 1928AcquisitionThe merger combined the three oldest and largest soap and perfumery companies in the US and became effective on July…
- 1927AcquisitionThe combined pre-merger sales in 1927 of the three companies exceeded $100,000,000 ( )
- 1896MilestoneAlso in 1896, Colgate hired Martin Ittner and under his direction founded one of the first applied research labs
- 1896ProductThe company sold the first toothpaste in a tube, named Colgate Ribbon Dental Cream (invented by dentist…
- 1873ProductThe company introduced its first Colgate toothpaste, an aromatic toothpaste sold in jars
- 1872ProductHe introduced Cashmere Bouquet, a perfumed soap
- 1857MilestoneColgate died and the company was reorganized as Colgate & Company under the management of his similarly…
Achievements
Verifiable track record, straight from the reported numbers.
Strengths & watch-outs
What a bull and a bear would each point to. Both lists come from the reported numbers, not opinions.
Strengths
- High gross margin (60.4%)
- Strong cash conversion — FCF is 18.3% of revenue
- Could repay net debt from ~1.7 years of free cash flow
- Interest covered 18.8× by operating earnings
- High returns on invested capital (ROIC 37.8%)
Watch-outs
Nothing stands out as a concern in the available data.
Qualifications
The basics a company should meet before you research it further. Each check uses the reported numbers.
- Revenue growing — the company sells more than a year ago+5.2% YoY
- Profitable — makes more than it spends$2.04B TTM
- Profit growing — earnings are higher than last year+7.3% YoY
- Generates cash — cash left after running and investing$3.86B TTM
- Debt under control — could handle its obligations~1.4y of cash flow to repay
- Established company — not a micro-cap — lower blow-up risk$70.5B market cap
- Not printing shares — share count not ballooning — you keep your slice-5.5% shares over ~5y
- Proven track record — years of profitability behind it10/10 profitable years
- Financially stable — balance sheet not near distressAltman Z 5.9 — safe
- Pays a dividend — returns cash to shareholdersyield 2.59%
- Valuation not extreme — price not wildly above earningsP/E 34.5
Peer comparisonColgate-Palmolive Company vs 6 largest consumer defensive peers — cap, P/E, growth and margin side by sideOpen ▾Close ▴
| Company | Market cap | P/E | Revenue growth | Net margin | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CL this company | $70.5B | 34.5 | +5.2% | 9.7% | Solid |
| WMT Walmart Inc. | $882.9B | 40.8 | +6.2% | 3.0% | Strained |
| COST Costco Wholesale Corp | $419.2B | 45.5 | +10.1% | 3.0% | Mixed |
| KO Coca-Cola Company | $379.3B | 26.5 | +6.5% | 28.6% | Mixed |
| PG Procter & Gamble Company | $351.2B | 21.9 | +3.3% | 18.4% | Solid |
| PM Philip Morris International Inc. | $313.6B | 28.8 | +8.9% | 25.6% | Strained |
| PEP PepsiCo, Inc. | $171.8B | 16.5 | +6.4% | 11.1% | Strained |
Head-to-head: CL vs WMT · CL vs COST · CL vs KO
References
What covering analysts publish about the company — information only, not a recommendation.
Appendix · Financial records
The full statements behind this CV, FY2016–FY2025. For readers who want to check the numbers.
Live data and quarterly detail: stockcv.com/CL
Want the live picture — intraday moves, valuation history and full analysis?
Deeper analysis of CL on PreMarketPriceFigures are derived from company filings (quarterly values normalised from as-filed year-to-date data where applicable) and may be delayed, restated or incomplete. This page is information, not investment advice. Latest price $88.38 · market cap $70.5B.