Colgate-Palmolive Company

CL
Financial Analysis · Updated May 13, 2026 · Coverage 2026-Q2
Latest Q Revenue
$5.3B
Q1 2026 · +8.4% YoY
TTM ROIC
35%
FY2025 · NOPAT / Invested Capital (Equity + Net Debt) · WACC ~6.7% · Moat spread +28pp

Financial Snapshot


ticker: CL step: 04 generated: 2026-05-13 source: quick-research

Colgate-Palmolive Company (CL) — Financial Snapshot

Income Statement Summary

Metric FY2022 FY2023 FY2024 YoY
Revenue $17.97B $19.46B $20.10B +3.3%
Gross Margin ~56% ~58% 60.5%
Operating Margin ~18% ~20% 21.8%
Net Income ~$1.8B ~$2.1B ~$2.8B +33%
EPS (diluted) ~$2.12 ~$2.49 $3.51 (GAAP) / $3.60 (Base) +40%/+11%

FY2024 GAAP EPS +27% reflects both operating improvement and tax/restructuring items. Base Business EPS +11% better reflects underlying earnings power.

Cash Flow & Balance Sheet (FY2024)

Metric Value
Operating Cash Flow ~$4.1B
Free Cash Flow ~$3.55B
Capital Expenditures ~$550M
Cash & Equivalents ~$1.1B
Total Debt ~$7.3B (net debt ~$6.2B)

FCF of $3.55B represents ~17.7% FCF margin — best-in-class for consumer staples. Company returned $3.4B to shareholders via dividends + buybacks in FY2024.

Key Ratios (approximate)

  • P/E: ~21x | EV/EBITDA: ~16x | Dividend Yield: ~2.5%
  • Revenue Growth (FY2024): +3.3% (organic +7.4%) | FCF Margin: ~17.7%
  • Gross Margin: 60.5% (six-year high driven by pricing + cost discipline)

Growth Profile

Colgate has delivered six consecutive years of 3%+ organic sales growth — an extraordinary streak for a $20B consumer staples company. FY2024 organic growth of 7.4% was driven by a mix of pricing and modest volume recovery. FY2025 organic sales growth was positive, with FY2025 revenue at ~$20.4B (+1.4% reported, but tariff headwinds forced a guidance cut). Hill's Pet Nutrition has been the standout growth engine, with revenue nearly doubling in five years on premium veterinary nutrition trends.

Forward Estimates

  • FY2025 Revenue: ~$20.4B (actual); tariff headwind of $200M reduced EPS trajectory
  • FY2026 Revenue guidance: +2% to +6% net sales growth; Low-to-mid single-digit Base Business EPS growth
  • Management targets gross margin expansion in 2026 and double-digit EPS growth on 2030 plan horizon
  • $5B share repurchase authorization announced — supportive of per-share earnings growth

Deeper Financial Analysis

The fundamental tier adds 9 additional research dimensions for $CL.

Revenue Breakdown
Segment revenue, geographic mix, product-line contribution margins, and cohort dynamics.
Financial Trends
Quarter-over-quarter momentum, leading indicators, and inflection point analysis.
Balance Sheet
Debt structure, liquidity runway, dilution risk, and working capital dynamics.
Capital Allocation
Buyback cadence, M&A appetite, dividend policy, and reinvestment priorities.
Returns on Capital (ROIC)
Multi-year ROIC vs. WACC, marginal returns on reinvestment, sales-to-invested-capital efficiency, and moat spread.
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Markdown: /stocks/cl/financials/md · → thesis · → memo