Should I Buy CL? CL 2026 Analysis

Should You Buy Colgate-Palmolive Co (CL) Today? Analysis, Price Targets, and 2026 Outlook.

Conclusion

Buy

Latest Price

85.250

1 Day change

0.29%

52 Week Range

99.620

Analysis Updated At

2026/01/28

Buy (starter position now for a beginner long-term investor). Colgate-Palmolive is acting like a steady consumer-staples name in a mild consolidation near support, and the current price ($84.79) sits close to the Street’s mid-range targets with multiple recent bullish/positive target revisions. Near-term options positioning is slightly cautious (more puts than calls), and earnings on 2026-01-30 pre-market is the main event risk, but for an impatient long-term investor this is a reasonable entry to begin building exposure rather than waiting for a perfect dip.

Technical Analysis

Price/Trend: CL is consolidating rather than trending strongly. Moving averages are converging, consistent with a sideways-to-slightly-positive setup. Momentum: MACD histogram is positive (0.236) but contracting, suggesting bullish momentum is present but weakening (more “grind up/sideways” than breakout). RSI: RSI(6)=56.9, neutral-to-slightly-bullish (not overbought). Levels: Pivot 85.04 is just above the current price (84.79). Near-term support is S1 83.57 then S2 82.66; resistance is R1 86.52 then R2 87.43. This looks like a range trade zone with the stock sitting closer to support than resistance. Pattern-based forward odds (provided): Similar-candlestick analogs imply ~80% chance of +1.77% next day, +3.89% next week, +4.86% next month—supportive of a modest upward bias. Intellectia Proprietary Trading Signals - [AI Stock Picker](module://ai_stock_pick): No signal on given stock today. - [SwingMax](module://swingmax): No signal on given stock recently.

Options Data

Bearish

Open Interest Put-Call Ratio

Bearish

Option Volume Put-Call Ratio

Sentiment: Slightly defensive/negative near-term positioning (puts exceed calls on both open interest and especially on volume). Activity/positioning: Total OI is elevated vs its 30-day average (today vs OI avg ~113%), but today’s volume is low vs its 30-day average (~36), suggesting positioning is already on rather than fresh aggressive betting today. Volatility: IV(30d)=22.3 vs HV=19.4 (options pricing in a bit more movement than recent realized). IV percentile ~60.8 indicates IV is not cheap; it’s moderately elevated, consistent with upcoming earnings and/or cautious sentiment.

Technical Summary

Sell

Buy

Positive Catalysts

Upcoming earnings (QDEC 2025) on 2026-01-30 pre-market can re-rate the stock if margins/volume trend better than feared.
Recent bullish Wall Street moves: JPMorgan reiterated Overweight and raised PT to $93; Piper Sandler upgraded to Overweight (PT $88); BofA maintained Buy and lifted PT to $90—supports the idea of a floor under the name.
Defensive “flight-to-safety” profile can attract capital if broader market sentiment weakens (staples bid).

Neutral/Negative Catalysts

Earnings event risk on 2026-01-30: any disappointment on volumes, emerging market demand, or gross margin can pressure the stock near-term.
Margins have been under pressure: gross margin declined YoY (see financials), and multiple analysts cite raw material/tariff and potential oil/currency headwinds.
Options sentiment leans cautious (put/call ratios > 1), implying traders are still hedging/downside-aware into key dates.

Financial Performance

Latest reported quarter: 2025/Q3. Revenue rose to $5.131B (+1.95% YoY), showing low-single-digit growth. EPS increased to $0.91 (+1.11% YoY), but net income dipped slightly to $735M (-0.27% YoY). The key watchout is profitability: gross margin fell to 59.42% (-2.72% YoY), indicating cost pressure and/or weaker mix. Overall: steady top line and EPS, but margin trend is the main weakness to monitor going into the next earnings print.

Growth

Profitability

Efficiency

Analyst Ratings and Price Target Trends

Recent trend (ratings/targets): Mixed-to-improving. Over the last ~6 weeks, there were multiple price target increases and at least one meaningful upgrade (Piper to Overweight). Offsetting that, there were cautious notes/holds and a downgrade (Argus to Hold) tied to margin pressure. Key recent calls: JPMorgan Overweight with PT raised to $93; BofA Buy with PT $90; Piper upgraded to Overweight PT $88; TD Cowen maintained Buy but cut PT to $86; Barclays stayed Equal Weight with PT $83; Jefferies Hold PT $85; Argus downgraded to Hold. Wall Street pros: Defensive staples exposure; potential for 2026 improvement (especially emerging markets); easier comps; valuation viewed as more attractive by some after pullback. Wall Street cons: Volume growth likely muted; margin/cost headwinds (raw materials/tariffs); potential oil/currency headwinds; some view recent strength as “flight to safety” rather than improving fundamentals. Influential/political trading: No recent congress trading data available; hedge funds and insiders are reported as neutral with no significant recent trend.

15 Analyst Rating

Wall Street analysts forecast CL stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for CL is 87.79 USD with a low forecast of 77 USD and a high forecast of 95 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.

10 Buy

4 Hold

1 Sell

Moderate Buy

Current: 85.000

Low

Averages

87.79

High

Current: 85.000

Low

Averages

87.79

High

JPMorgan

Andrea Teixeira

maintain

$88 -> $93

AI Analysis

2026-01-16

Reason

JPMorgan

Andrea Teixeira

Price Target

$88 -> $93

AI Analysis

2026-01-16

maintain

Reason

JPMorgan analyst Andrea Teixeira raised the firm's price target on Colgate-Palmolive to $93 from $88 and keeps an Overweight rating on the shares. The firm adjusted ratings and targets in the beverage, household and personal care products group as part of its Q4 earnings preview. JPMorgan believes the sector setup into earnings remains mixed, with the "most plain vanilla companies" and with those with the most exposure to the U.S. consumer likely to post "lackluster" sales. The stocks exposed to beauty and companies that focus on "differentiated and innovative premium products" should continue to outperform, the analyst tells investors in a research note.

Barclays

Lauren Lieberman

Equal Weight

maintain

$80 -> $83

2026-01-16

Reason

Barclays

Lauren Lieberman

Price Target

$80 -> $83

2026-01-16

maintain

Equal Weight

Reason

Barclays analyst Lauren Lieberman raised the firm's price target on Colgate-Palmolive to $83 from $80 and keeps an Equal Weight rating on the shares. The firm adjusted targets in the consumer staples group as part of a Q4 earnings preview. Barclays attributes the recent "enthusiasm" in the stock to "a flight to safety" and remains concerned about company- and sector-level fundamentals. Potential oil and currency headwinds could materialize in 2026, the analyst tells investors in a research note.

Unlock Full Analyst Thesis， Get the complete breakdown of rating reason for CL

Unlock Now

CL Should I Buy

CL Should I Buy

Should You Buy Colgate-Palmolive Co (CL) Today? Analysis, Price Targets, and 2026 Outlook.

Technical Analysis

Options Data

Technical Summary

Positive Catalysts

Neutral/Negative Catalysts

Financial Performance

Growth

Profitability

Efficiency

Analyst Ratings and Price Target Trends

People Also Watch