** Shares of toothpaste maker Colgate-Palmolive CL.N rise nearly 1% to $76.65 before the bell

** RBC Capital Markets upgrades stock rating to "outperform" from "sector perform"

** Brokerage says that while 2026 will remain challenging, current expectations are low, creating a favorable setup for co to return to long-term growth

** Over the past two years, consumer staples have faced repeated downward revisions amid a challenging global environment, slowing category growth, and macro pressures, says brokerage

** "Despite the pressure, CL had been resilient up until recently, delivering 24 straight quarters of organic sales growth, at or above their LT (long-term) algorithm" - RBC

** Average rating of 22 analysts is "buy"; median PT $88 - data compiled by LSEG

** As of last close, co is down nearly 16.3% YTD

(Reporting by Akriti Shah in Bengaluru)

((akriti.shah@thomsonreuters.com))