Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV Makes New Investment in Church & Dwight Co., Inc. (NYSE:CHD)

Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV purchased a new stake in shares of Church & Dwight Co., Inc. (NYSE:CHD - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 25,006 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,753,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Stanley Laman Group Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Church & Dwight during the first quarter valued at approximately $223,000. Albert D Mason Inc. boosted its position in shares of Church & Dwight by 3.4% during the first quarter. Albert D Mason Inc. now owns 8,653 shares of the company's stock valued at $953,000 after purchasing an additional 284 shares in the last quarter. Bellecapital International Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Church & Dwight by 0.7% during the first quarter. Bellecapital International Ltd. now owns 40,442 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,452,000 after purchasing an additional 294 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its position in shares of Church & Dwight by 4.1% during the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 13,936 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,534,000 after purchasing an additional 549 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Simon Quick Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Church & Dwight during the first quarter valued at approximately $209,000. 86.60% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Church & Dwight Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:CHD traded down $2.04 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $97.04. 2,096,941 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,721,304. The company has a market cap of $23.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.95, a P/E/G ratio of 3.32 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a current ratio of 1.70. Church & Dwight Co., Inc. has a one year low of $90.99 and a one year high of $116.46. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $98.41 and a 200 day moving average of $103.98.

Church & Dwight (NYSE:CHD - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported $0.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.89 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $1.47 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.52 billion. Church & Dwight had a return on equity of 20.03% and a net margin of 9.58%. The company's quarterly revenue was down 2.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.96 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Church & Dwight Co., Inc. will post 3.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Church & Dwight Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 2nd. Investors of record on Thursday, May 15th were given a dividend of $0.295 per share. This represents a $1.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.22%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 15th. Church & Dwight's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.64%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently weighed in on CHD. TD Cowen lowered Church & Dwight from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $100.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. UBS Group dropped their target price on Church & Dwight from $110.00 to $102.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Wall Street Zen downgraded Church & Dwight from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. Royal Bank of Canada raised Church & Dwight from a "sector perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $100.00 to $114.00 in a report on Monday, June 2nd. Finally, Barclays dropped their target price on Church & Dwight from $94.00 to $84.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $108.67.

Insider Activity at Church & Dwight

In related news, Director Penry W. Price sold 14,660 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $93.13, for a total transaction of $1,365,285.80. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 27,043 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,518,514.59. This represents a 35.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Carlen Hooker sold 11,875 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.75, for a total value of $1,172,656.25. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 262 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $25,872.50. The trade was a 97.84% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 44,195 shares of company stock worth $4,283,432. 1.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Church & Dwight Company Profile

Church & Dwight Co, Inc engages in the development, manufacture, and marketing of household, personal care, and specialty products. It operates through the following segments: Consumer Domestic, Consumer International, Specialty Products Division (SPD), and Corporate. The Consumer Domestic segment offers household products, such as laundry detergents, fabric softener sheets, cat litter, household cleaning products, and personal care products including antiperspirants, oral care products, depilatories, reproductive health products, oral analgesics, nasal saline moisturizers, and dietary supplements.