Church & Dwight (NYSE:CHD) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Citigroup Analyst Says

Key Points

• Citigroup raised Church & Dwight’s price target to $110 from $105 while maintaining a “neutral” rating; the new target implies approximately 0.3% downside from the stock’s $110.33 trading price.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed, with a consensus “Hold” rating and an average price target of $106.56. Church & Dwight recently exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $0.92 in EPS versus $0.90 expected and $1.60 billion in revenue.
• Insiders sold 53,250 shares worth about $5.46 million over the past quarter, while institutional investors own approximately 86.6% of the company.

Church & Dwight (NYSE:CHD - Get Free Report) had its target price lifted by equities research analysts at Citigroup from $105.00 to $110.00 in a research report issued on Monday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a "neutral" rating on the stock. Citigroup's price objective would indicate a potential downside of 0.30% from the company's current price.

Other equities research analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $115.00 price objective on shares of Church & Dwight in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Barclays restated an "underweight" rating and issued a $83.00 target price (down from $86.00) on shares of Church & Dwight in a research note on Friday, October 16th. UBS Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $106.00 target price on shares of Church & Dwight in a report on Thursday, October 15th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Church & Dwight from $112.00 to $117.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday. Finally, TD Cowen set a $97.00 price target on Church & Dwight and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $106.56.

Church & Dwight Stock Performance

Church & Dwight stock traded up $3.10 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $110.33. The company's stock had a trading volume of 901,549 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,064,674. The firm has a market cap of $26.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.94, a PEG ratio of 3.83 and a beta of 0.45. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $99.27 and a 200-day moving average price of $97.66. The company has a current ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. Church & Dwight has a twelve month low of $81.49 and a twelve month high of $111.23.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Arthur Winkleblack sold 13,200 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $102.83, for a total value of $1,357,356.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 7,129 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $733,075.07. This represents a 64.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Carlos Linares sold 15,375 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 4,668 shares in the company, valued at $476,136. This trade represents a 76.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 53,250 shares of company stock worth $5,462,048. Insiders own 1.20% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Church & Dwight

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

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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