Colgate-Palmolive Co.

Colgate-Palmolive is exploring the sale of several mass-market personal-care brands such as Softsoap, Irish Spring and Speed Stick and is working with Goldman Sachs on the process. The brands being marketed include deodorants, soaps, shower gels and skin-care products and could fetch more than $1 billion in total. The goal is to concentrate capital and marketing resources on higher-margin core categories like oral care and pet nutrition, and to strengthen the balance sheet or reinvest in innovation. » More on de.investing.com

CEO Noel Wallace presented at the Barclays Global Consumer Conference a plan through 2030 focused on scaling capabilities built in recent years. Colgate is relying on organic growth, investments in AI, analytics, innovation and automation, and on emerging markets and Hill’s Pet Nutrition as the main drivers, while North America will undergo a three‑year realignment. The company does not plan transformational acquisitions, expects stronger volume growth in the second half with more moderate pricing, and intends to fully phase out its private‑label business by Q4. » More on de.investing.com

Colgate-Palmolive raised its quarterly dividend to $0.53 in 2026, maintaining a 63-year streak of annual increases and an annualized payout of $2.12. Q2 net sales rose 4.9% (organic +2.4%) while Base Business EPS increased 8% and gross margin expanded, with operating cash flow and free cash flow rising in H1 2026. The company generated $1.74 billion in operating cash flow and paid $879 million in dividends in H1, leaving cash well above the payout, but growth is modest and North American organic sales declined 3%. » More on finance.yahoo.com