At a glance
Colgate-Palmolive Company is worth $77.45B, about 37 times its fiscal 2025 earnings. Revenue grew 1.4% to $20.38B in fiscal 2025, with 10.5% kept as profit; over 5 years it has grown 4.4% a year. It pays a 2.17% dividend yield, and returned $15.44B to shareholders in dividends and buybacks over FY2021–FY2025. The stock returned +29.5% over the past year with dividends reinvested and +7.5% a year over five years, against +11.5% and +11.7% for the S&P 500. At its worst it fell 20.7% in the 2020 crash (S&P 500: 33.7%) and 18.2% in the 2022 bear market (S&P 500: 24.5%), and was back at its earlier high 4 months and 15 months after the lows.
The business in plain English
Colgate-Palmolive reports two segments: Oral, Personal and Home Care, and Hill's Pet Nutrition. Its products are sold in over 200 countries and territories. Oral care is the largest business, at 44% of net sales in 2025. The company says it leads the world in toothpaste and manual toothbrushes, with brands such as Colgate, elmex and Tom's of Maine. Personal care (17%) includes Softsoap and Palmolive hand soaps, Irish Spring bar soap, Speed Stick deodorant and EltaMD skin care. Home care (16%) covers Ajax and Palmolive dish liquids, Fabuloso cleaners and Suavitel fabric conditioner.
Hill's, at 23% of net sales, makes dog and cat food under Hill's Science Diet, Hill's Prescription Diet and Prime100. Prescription Diet is a range of therapeutic foods for pets with health needs, and Prime100 is a fresh pet food brand in Australia. Hill's reaches pet owners through pet supply stores, veterinarians and online retailers in over 80 countries and territories.
Toothpaste, soap and cleaners are sold to retailers, wholesalers and distributors. The company backs its brands with advertising that is increasingly digital. About two-thirds of revenue comes from outside the US. Walmart and its affiliates accounted for about 11% of net sales in 2025. Net sales were $20.4 billion in fiscal 2025, up 1.4%. Gross margin, the share of sales left after direct production costs, was 60.1%.
Price history
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CL +29.5% over the year to Nov 2, 2026, total return with dividends reinvested.
Latest results
- In Q3 FY2026 (ended Sep 30, 2026), revenue was $5.37B, up 4.6% from a year earlier, and net income was $751.0M (+2.2%).
- For fiscal 2025, revenue was $20.38B (+1.4% year over year; +4.4% a year from FY2020 to FY2025) with a 10.5% net margin.
Financial health check
| Revenue growth a year (FY2020–FY2025) | +4.4% watch |
|---|---|
| Operating margin | 16.2% good |
| Free cash flow margin | 17.8% good |
| Return on equity (FY2025) | Not meaningful: shareholders’ equity is very small, often the result of years of buybacks |
| Return on assets (FY2025) | 13.1% good |
| Net cash (cash minus debt) | $-5.66B weak |
| Fiscal year | Revenue | Net income | Free cash flow |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2020 | $16.47B | $2.69B | $3.31B |
| FY2021 | $17.42B | $2.17B | $2.76B |
| FY2022 | $17.97B | $1.78B | $1.86B |
| FY2023 | $19.46B | $2.30B | $3.04B |
| FY2024 | $20.10B | $2.89B | $3.55B |
| FY2025 | $20.38B | $2.13B | $3.63B |
Valuation snapshot
| Market value | $77.45B |
|---|---|
| P/E ratio | 37 |
| Dividend yield | 2.17% |
Rank among 1514 US companies
Market value at each year end
Colgate-Palmolive’s market value went from $58.17B at the end of 2016 to $77.45B on Nov 2, 2026, up 33%; since the end of 2025 it is up 22%.
Show as a table
| Year end | Market value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 2, 2026 | $77.45B | +21.6% |
| 2025 | $63.70B | -14.2% |
| 2024 | $74.27B | +13.2% |
| 2023 | $65.63B | -0.3% |
| 2022 | $65.81B | -8.5% |
| 2021 | $71.93B | -1.9% |
| 2020 | $73.30B | +24.2% |
| 2019 | $59.00B | +14.3% |
| 2018 | $51.62B | -22.1% |
| 2017 | $66.25B | +13.9% |
| 2016 | $58.17B |
Price behavior
| YTD | 1 yr | 3 yr | 5 yr | 10 yr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CL price data to Nov 2, 2026 | +26.3% | +29.5% | +11.8% | +7.5% | +5.7% |
Show as a table
| Year | Price data |
|---|---|
| 2026 (to date) | +26.3% |
| 2025 | -11.0% |
| 2024 | +16.6% |
| 2023 | +3.8% |
| 2022 | -5.4% |
| 2021 | +2.1% |
| 2020 | +27.2% |
| 2019 | +18.6% |
| 2018 | -19.2% |
| 2017 | +17.9% |
| 2016 | +0.4% |
| 2015 | -1.6% |
| 2014 | +8.4% |
| 2013 | +27.6% |
| 2012 | +15.9% |
| 2011 | +18.1% |
| 2010 | +0.3% |
| 2009 | +22.9% |
| 2008 | -10.8% |
| 2007 | +20.7% |
| 2006 | +20.2% |
| 2005 | +8.4% |
| 2004 | +3.2% |
| 2003 | -3.8% |
| 2002 | -8.6% |
| 2001 | -10.0% |
| 2000 | -0.1% |
| 1999 | +40.8% |
| 1998 | +26.8% |
| 1997 | +60.0% |
| 2008 financial crisis stocks fell Oct 9, 2007 – Mar 9, 2009 | Lost 22.7% over that stretch · deepest drop along the way 31.4%, back to its old high 11.4 months after the low |
|---|---|
| 2020 COVID crash stocks fell Feb 19, 2020 – Mar 23, 2020 | Lost 19.9% over that stretch · deepest drop along the way 20.7%, back to its old high 4.2 months after the low |
| 2022 bear market stocks fell Jan 3, 2022 – Oct 12, 2022 | Lost 16.9% over that stretch · deepest drop along the way 18.2%, back to its old high 15.4 months after the low |
Insider activity
Form 4 filings from 2025-10-31 to 2026-10-31 (25 read): 0 open-market purchases and 4 sales ($31.0M).
| Date | Insider | Type | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 5, 2026 | Noel R. Wallace Chairman, President & CEO, Director | sell | $14.9M |
| Aug 4, 2026 | Noel R. Wallace Chairman, President & CEO, Director | sell | $14.8M |
| Aug 24, 2026 | Panagiotis Tsourapas COO, CD, EMEA, APac, Skin | sell | $920K |
| Aug 6, 2026 | John T Cahill Director | sell | $389K |
Who owns it
Large shareholders (13G filings)
| Vanguard Capital Management | 7.52% | Mar 31, 2026 |
ETFs with the most weight in CL
| XLP Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR Fund | 4.45% |
| BAMG Brookstone Growth Stock ETF | 3.59% |
| IYK iShares U.S. Consumer Staples ETF | 3.42% |
| PAWZ ProShares Pet Care ETF | 3.24% |
| GINX SGI Enhanced Global Income ETF | 3.04% |
| SIXA ETC 6 Meridian Mega Cap Equity ETF | 2.67% |
| RSPS Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight Consumer Staples ETF | 2.67% |
| SIXH ETC 6 Meridian Hedged Equity Index Option ETF | 2.62% |
What could go wrong
- Most sales come from outside the US. About two-thirds of net sales come from outside the US. A stronger dollar shrinks what those sales are worth in dollars. Some countries also restrict moving cash home, a problem Colgate has faced in Russia.
- Wars, tariffs and views of US brands. Tariffs, sanctions and conflicts in Ukraine, the Middle East and Venezuela can raise costs and disrupt supply. Colgate says such tensions have also hurt how some shoppers abroad view US brands, reducing sales volumes.
- Heavy reliance on big retailers like Walmart. Walmart and its affiliates made up about 11% of net sales in 2025. Some large retailers have more bargaining power than Colgate, offer competing store brands and hold shopper data Colgate cannot access.
- Swings in ingredient and packaging costs. Costs for materials such as resins, tropical oils, pulp, tallow, corn, poultry and soybeans move with commodity markets. Colgate says these swings have hurt its profits in the past and could again.
- Tough rivals and new online brands. Colgate competes with multinational and local companies, some with more resources. Growth in online shopping and AI has helped new direct-to-consumer brands enter, adding pressure on pricing and promotions.
- Cost-cutting program may fall short. Colgate expects benefits from its Strategic Growth and Productivity Program and other cost cuts, but warns they may fall short. It disclosed restructuring costs in October 2025 and May 2026.
Recent events
- Quarterly results released
- Quarterly results released
- Shareholder vote results
- Quarterly results released; Restructuring or exit costs
- Executive or board change
- Other company announcement
- Executive or board change
- Quarterly results released
- Other company announcement
- Quarterly results released; Restructuring or exit costs
For income and retirement investors
Colgate pays a dividend, and the yield was 2.3% as of October 28, 2026. Dividends per share rose from $1.75 in fiscal 2020 to $2.08 in fiscal 2025, about 3.5% a year. Total cash paid as dividends grew every year, reaching $1.82 billion. In fiscal 2025, dividends took 85.5% of earnings. That share was high partly because net income fell 26.2%. Dividends took only 50.2% of free cash flow, the cash left after running and investing in the business. Colgate also spent $6.7 billion on buybacks over fiscal 2021–2025, and the share count fell 5.4% between September 2021 and June 2026.
In past downturns, the shares fell 31.4% during the 2008 financial crisis, 20.7% in the 2020 COVID crash and 18.2% in the 2022 bear market. They got back to their earlier highs about 11, 4 and 15 months after each low. A single stock carries more risk than a diversified fund, because no other holdings offset one company's problems.
Questions investors ask
How does Colgate-Palmolive make money?
Colgate-Palmolive makes money selling toothpaste, toothbrushes, soap, cleaners and pet food. Oral care made up 44% of net sales in 2025, pet nutrition (Hill's) 23%, personal care 17% and home care 16%. Its products are sold in over 200 countries and territories through retailers, wholesalers, distributors, veterinarians and online stores. Net sales were $20.4 billion in fiscal 2025, and about two-thirds of revenue comes from outside the US.
Does Colgate own Hill's Science Diet?
Yes. Hill's Pet Nutrition is one of Colgate-Palmolive's two reporting segments, and it made up 23% of net sales in 2025. It makes dog and cat food under three main brands: Hill's Science Diet (called Hill's Science Plan in Europe), Hill's Prescription Diet, a range of therapeutic foods, and Prime100, a fresh pet food brand in Australia. Hill's products are sold by pet supply retailers, veterinarians and online retailers in over 80 countries and territories.
What is Colgate-Palmolive's dividend payout ratio?
In fiscal 2025, Colgate paid out 85.5% of its earnings and 50.2% of its free cash flow as dividends. The earnings figure is high partly because net income fell 26.2% that year, to $2.13 billion. Free cash flow, the cash left after running and investing in the business, was $3.63 billion. That covered the $1.82 billion in dividends about twice over. The dividend yield was 2.3% as of October 28, 2026.
How has Colgate-Palmolive stock performed?
As of October 28, 2026, Colgate's price-based return was 21.7% over one year. Over longer periods it averaged about 11% a year over three years, 6.1% a year over five years and 5% a year over ten years. The stock lost 11% in calendar 2025 and gained 18.8% in 2026 through October 28. Its deepest drop over the prior three years was 29.1%. Past returns do not predict future results.
How much debt does Colgate-Palmolive have?
Colgate had $7.82 billion of total debt as of June 30, 2026, and $1.37 billion of cash and investments. That left net debt of about $6.45 billion. Shareholders' equity, the accounting value left after subtracting liabilities from assets, was only $236 million on $16.79 billion of assets. Because equity is so small, ratios like return on equity look extreme. Free cash flow was $3.63 billion in fiscal 2025. The annual report warns that credit-market disruptions or credit rating changes could hurt the business.