Church & Dwight (NYSE:CHD) Price Target Raised to $117.00

Key Points

• Morgan Stanley raised Church & Dwight’s price target to $117 from $112 while maintaining an “equal weight” rating, implying 6.72% potential upside.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed, with the stock carrying an overall “Hold” rating and an average price target of $106.25; ratings include eight Buys, eight Holds, and one Sell.
• Church & Dwight exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $0.92 in EPS versus $0.90 expected and $1.60 billion in revenue versus $1.58 billion forecast, while revenue rose 1% year over year.

Church & Dwight (NYSE:CHD - Get Free Report) had its price target raised by investment analysts at Morgan Stanley from $112.00 to $117.00 in a research report issued on Monday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an "equal weight" rating on the stock. Morgan Stanley's price target suggests a potential upside of 6.72% from the company's current price.

A number of other equities analysts also recently weighed in on the company. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $115.00 price target on shares of Church & Dwight in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Wall Street Zen upgraded Church & Dwight from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, October 10th. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $115.00 price target (up from $105.00) on shares of Church & Dwight in a research report on Monday. Barclays reissued an "underweight" rating and issued a $83.00 price objective (down from $86.00) on shares of Church & Dwight in a report on Friday, October 16th. Finally, UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $106.00 target price on shares of Church & Dwight in a research note on Thursday, October 15th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $106.25.

Church & Dwight Stock Performance

Church & Dwight stock traded up $2.40 on Monday, hitting $109.63. The company's stock had a trading volume of 649,962 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,063,656. The firm has a market cap of $26.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.83 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $99.27 and a 200-day moving average price of $97.66. Church & Dwight has a one year low of $81.49 and a one year high of $111.23.

Church & Dwight (NYSE:CHD - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, October 30th. The company reported $0.92 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.90 by $0.02. Church & Dwight had a net margin of 12.41% and a return on equity of 20.28%. The firm had revenue of $1.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.58 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.81 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Church & Dwight will post 3.77 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Church & Dwight

In other Church & Dwight news, EVP Carlos Linares sold 15,375 shares of Church & Dwight stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $102.00, for a total value of $1,568,250.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 4,668 shares in the company, valued at $476,136. The trade was a 76.71% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Rene Hemsey sold 5,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $102.25, for a total transaction of $511,250.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 8,086 shares in the company, valued at $826,793.50. This represents a 38.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 53,250 shares of company stock valued at $5,462,048 in the last three months. 1.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Church & Dwight

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Quest 10 Wealth Builders Inc. increased its holdings in Church & Dwight by 176.1% in the 3rd quarter. Quest 10 Wealth Builders Inc. now owns 392 shares of the company's stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 250 shares during the period. Sound Financial Strategies Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Church & Dwight during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $311,000. Rakuten Investment Management Inc. raised its position in Church & Dwight by 9.8% during the third quarter. Rakuten Investment Management Inc. now owns 42,558 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,041,000 after purchasing an additional 3,808 shares in the last quarter. AIA Group Ltd bought a new stake in Church & Dwight during the third quarter worth $771,000. Finally, Provenance Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Church & Dwight by 2,412.5% during the third quarter. Provenance Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 402 shares of the company's stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 386 shares during the last quarter. 86.60% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Church & Dwight Company Profile

Church & Dwight Co, Inc is a consumer packaged goods company that develops, manufactures and markets household, personal care and specialty products. Its portfolio is anchored by the ARM & HAMMER brand, which is used across products such as baking soda, laundry detergent, cat litter, household cleaners, oral care products and personal care items.

The company also markets a broad range of branded products, including OxiClean laundry and cleaning products, Trojan sexual wellness products, Waterpik oral health devices, First Response pregnancy and fertility tests, Nair hair-removal products, Orajel oral pain relief, TheraBreath oral care products, and vitamins and supplements sold under the Vitafusion and L'il Critters brands.

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