Colgate-Palmolive Company research snapshot
CL AI stock analysis currently reads Colgate-Palmolive Company as a high-quality global consumer staples compounder with exceptional oral care share, recurring household demand, strong free cash flow, and a defensive beta profile. The July 8, 2026 setup is not a simple bargain signal because CL trades near 36.86x trailing earnings and 20.19x free cash flow while 2026 guidance depends on continued organic sales growth, raw material and logistics control, advertising productivity, and Pet Nutrition recovery. The CL AI stock forecast therefore uses scenario ranges rather than a precise price prediction, with toothpaste share, Hill's Pet Nutrition, emerging-market growth, gross margin, restructuring savings, and dividend coverage as the main variables.
Current price
$95.03
Market cap
$76.04 billion verified market cap
AI score
69 / 100
Rating
High-quality global staples franchise with full valuation and margin watchpoints
Trend status
Constructive short-term trend above the 50-day and 200-day moving averages
Data cutoff (updated weekly)
July 8, 2026
Informational use only. This page is not investment advice.
| Dimension | Conclusion | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| Business quality | Colgate sells repeat-purchase oral care, personal care, home care, and Hill's Pet Nutrition products across global markets, with toothpaste leadership and strong cash conversion. | High |
| Moat | Brand trust, dentist recommendation effects, shelf space, global distribution, scale purchasing, product science, and pet nutrition relationships support the moat, though private label and local brands cap pricing power. | High |
| Management | Noel Wallace leads a mature capital allocation model built around innovation, advertising, productivity programs, dividends, and buybacks. The key test is whether 2030 strategy investments translate into durable growth. | Medium-high |
| Financial trend | FY2025 net sales were $20.382 billion and net income to common was $2.132 billion. TTM revenue rose to $20.795 billion, but FY2025 operating margin fell after impairment, litigation, restructuring, and acquisition-related costs. | High |
| Valuation | At $95.03, CL screens near 36.86x trailing earnings, 24.94x forward earnings, 3.66x sales, 20.19x free cash flow, and a 2.27% dividend yield. | High |
| Technical trend | The stock is above the 50-day moving average near $89.09 and the 200-day moving average near $84.89, with RSI near 63.23 and 20-day average volume near 5.33 million shares. | Medium-high |
| Risk level | Main risks are premium valuation, raw material and logistics inflation, foreign exchange, Pet Nutrition category softness, restructuring execution, high debt relative to book equity, and dividend payout pressure. | Medium |
| AI confidence | Descriptive confidence is high because the data is rich and cross-checked. Return confidence is lower because premium staples valuations leave less room for slow growth or margin misses. | High data confidence |
| Investment certainty | CL is a durable franchise, but the current price needs steady organic growth, margin recovery, and continued free cash flow conversion before the margin of safety looks compelling. | Medium |
CL AI stock forecast
The CL AI stock forecast is scenario-based because Colgate combines high business quality with a valuation that already discounts stability. Using the $95.03 price reference, TTM EPS near $2.58, and the audited three-year model, the mechanical range points to about $53 in a bear case, $81 in a base case, and $104 in a bullish case before dividends. A higher outcome needs organic sales growth near the upper end of guidance, resilient gross margin, strong Hill's Pet Nutrition execution, and confidence that restructuring savings can fund advertising while protecting earnings.
$100 to $110 before dividends
More likely if CL sustains toothpaste share above 41%, keeps organic sales near the top half of the 1% to 4% guidance range, restores gross margin momentum, and earns a low-30s earnings multiple on improving EPS.
$78 to $86 before dividends
More likely if revenue grows slowly, free cash flow stays healthy, but investors value CL closer to a high-20s earnings multiple because growth is steady rather than accelerating.
$50 to $58 before dividends
More likely if raw material and logistics costs pressure margins, Pet Nutrition slows, currency hurts reported sales, and the market refuses to pay a premium multiple for low-single-digit growth.
CL AI technical analysis
CL AI technical analysis is constructive but not risk-free as of the July 8, 2026 data cutoff. StockAnalysis showed a July 7 close of $95.03, a 50-day moving average near $89.09, a 200-day moving average near $84.89, RSI near 63.23, and 20-day average volume near 5.33 million shares. The chart shows a recovery above key averages, but resistance near the 52-week high still matters.
| Level | Value | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Current price | $95.03 | StockAnalysis listed the July 7, 2026 close at $95.03 and after-hours trading near $95.50. |
| Immediate support | $89 to $91 | This zone brackets the 50-day moving average near $89.09 and the recent technical breakout area. |
| Deeper support | $84 to $85 | This area aligns with the 200-day moving average near $84.89 and would be the next line for longer-term trend confidence. |
| Near resistance | $97 to $100 | This range overlaps recent resistance references and the psychological $100 level. |
| Upper resistance | $104 to $110 | This range lines up with the bullish three-year scenario and would likely require better margin or organic sales evidence. |
| Moving averages | 50-day near $89.09, 200-day near $84.89 | Trading above both averages gives the chart a constructive tone, but a break back below the 50-day average would weaken it. |
| Momentum | RSI near 63.23 | Momentum is positive but not extreme. A push above 70 would increase overbought risk. |
| Volume | 20-day average near 5.33 million shares | Volume confirmation matters around the July 31, 2026 earnings date and any guidance updates. |
| Volatility | Beta near 0.32 | CL has lower market beta, but earnings, currency, input costs, and pet food commentary can still move the stock. |
| Invalidation | Close below $89, then below $84 | A sustained close below the 50-day average weakens the recovery. A move below the 200-day average would shift the technical read toward defensive caution. |
CL AI trading strategy
The CL AI trading strategy below is a rules-based research framework, not personal advice. It connects chart levels with organic sales, toothpaste share, Hill's Pet Nutrition demand, gross margin, raw material costs, restructuring savings, free cash flow, dividend coverage, and valuation discipline.
Watch for CL to hold above the $89 to $91 support zone and then clear $97 to $100 on volume, ideally with guidance that confirms organic growth, gross margin stability, and strong advertising productivity.
A failed breakout followed by a close below $89 should reduce trend confidence, especially if management lowers gross margin expectations or reports weaker pet nutrition demand.
If CL pulls back toward the 200-day average near $84 to $85 while free cash flow and dividend coverage remain intact, compare the lower price with the company's normalized global staples earnings power.
Do not treat a lower price as attractive if organic sales fall below guidance, input costs remain elevated, or the payout ratio keeps rising against weak EPS growth.
Track toothpaste and manual toothbrush share, organic sales by region, Hill's Pet Nutrition growth, gross margin, advertising spend, SGPP charges and savings, free cash flow, net debt, dividend payout, and buyback pace.
Position sizing should reflect that CL is a premium defensive stock with limited margin for valuation disappointment.
Investment research summary
Customers pay Colgate-Palmolive because oral hygiene, pet nutrition, personal care, and home care are recurring needs. The business converts daily-use habits, brand trust, professional recommendation, and broad retail distribution into repeat purchase economics.
Colgate has global oral care leadership, deep retail relationships, product science, dentist trust, Hill's veterinarian-linked credibility, and scale. The moat is real, but it is not immune to private label, local challengers, retailer pressure, and currency cycles.
The thesis fails if CL pays too much for low growth, loses share in key oral care markets, sees Hill's growth slow, cannot offset input inflation, or uses restructuring charges without producing durable productivity gains.
Management has emphasized innovation, advertising, productivity, dividends, and buybacks. Capital allocation looks disciplined, but the current test is whether 2030 strategy investments improve growth without eroding already high margins.
Oral care, personal care, household care, and pet nutrition are durable categories, not explosive technology markets. Long-term growth comes from premiumization, emerging-market penetration, health routines, and pet humanization.
At $95.03, CL prices in a strong franchise and defensive reliability. Margin of safety improves if earnings growth accelerates toward mid-single digits, free cash flow remains near $3.8 billion, and the market accepts the premium multiple.
Source-backed data
Every metric below includes a source and last verification date.
| Metric | Value | Source | Last verified |
|---|---|---|---|
| CL quote reference | $95.03 close on July 7, 2026, and $95.50 after-hours reference | StockAnalysis CL statistics | July 8, 2026 |
| Market capitalization verification | $76.04 billion reported and $76.04 billion calculated from $95.03 x 800.19 million shares | Pineify financial_rigor.py and StockAnalysis CL statistics | July 8, 2026 |
| Shares outstanding | 800.19 million shares outstanding | StockAnalysis CL statistics | July 8, 2026 |
| FY2025 revenue | $20.382 billion worldwide net sales, cross-checked against StockAnalysis | Colgate-Palmolive financial highlights | July 8, 2026 |
| FY2025 net income to common | $2.132 billion net income attributable to Colgate-Palmolive Company | Colgate-Palmolive 2025 annual report | July 8, 2026 |
| TTM revenue and EPS | $20.795 billion revenue and $2.58 EPS for the TTM period ended March 31, 2026 | StockAnalysis CL financials | July 8, 2026 |
| Q1 2026 net sales | $5.324 billion net sales, up 8.4%; organic sales up 2.9% | Colgate-Palmolive Q1 2026 results | July 8, 2026 |
| Q1 2026 cash and debt | $1.335 billion cash and cash equivalents, $7.973 billion total debt | Colgate-Palmolive Q1 2026 results | July 8, 2026 |
| TTM free cash flow | $3.767 billion free cash flow and about $4.71 FCF per share | StockAnalysis CL statistics | July 8, 2026 |
| Technical levels | 50-day moving average $89.09, 200-day moving average $84.89, RSI 63.23, 20-day average volume 5.33 million | StockAnalysis CL statistics | July 8, 2026 |
| Toothpaste market share | 41.1% global toothpaste share year to date in Q1 2026 | Colgate-Palmolive Q1 2026 results | July 8, 2026 |
| Dividend profile | $2.12 annual dividend, 2.27% yield, and 63 years of dividend growth | StockAnalysis CL statistics | July 8, 2026 |
This CL AI stock analysis is an informational research tool only. It is not investment advice, a recommendation, or a promise of future returns. Forecast scenarios are based on available data as of July 8, 2026, and can be wrong if earnings, currency, raw material costs, interest rates, competitive conditions, or market sentiment change.
