Bank of Nova Scotia Reduces Position in Church & Dwight Co., Inc. (NYSE:CHD)

Bank of Nova Scotia trimmed its position in Church & Dwight Co., Inc. (NYSE:CHD - Free Report) by 3.1% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 178,758 shares of the company's stock after selling 5,632 shares during the period. Bank of Nova Scotia owned 0.07% of Church & Dwight worth $19,680,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in shares of Church & Dwight by 12,489.8% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 861,895 shares of the company's stock valued at $94,886,000 after purchasing an additional 855,049 shares during the period. Ceredex Value Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Church & Dwight in the 4th quarter worth approximately $49,504,000. Northern Trust Corp raised its position in Church & Dwight by 15.0% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 3,018,552 shares of the company's stock worth $316,073,000 after buying an additional 393,068 shares during the last quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. purchased a new stake in shares of Church & Dwight in the 1st quarter valued at $41,743,000. Finally, Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH acquired a new stake in shares of Church & Dwight in the fourth quarter worth $36,493,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.60% of the company's stock.

Church & Dwight Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of NYSE CHD opened at $94.11 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $23.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 44.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.77 and a beta of 0.43. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $97.26 and its 200-day simple moving average is $101.70. The company has a quick ratio of 1.33, a current ratio of 1.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. Church & Dwight Co., Inc. has a 52-week low of $90.99 and a 52-week high of $116.46.

Church & Dwight (NYSE:CHD - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, August 1st. The company reported $0.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.85 by $0.09. Church & Dwight had a return on equity of 19.27% and a net margin of 8.66%. The company had revenue of $1.51 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.48 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.93 EPS. Church & Dwight's revenue was down .3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Church & Dwight Co., Inc. will post 3.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Church & Dwight Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, August 15th will be paid a $0.295 dividend. This represents a $1.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 15th. Church & Dwight's dividend payout ratio is currently 50.64%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on CHD shares. Oppenheimer decreased their target price on shares of Church & Dwight from $120.00 to $115.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Rothschild & Co Redburn cut Church & Dwight from a "neutral" rating to a "sell" rating and set a $83.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Monday, July 14th. Redburn Partners set a $83.00 target price on Church & Dwight in a report on Monday, July 14th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Church & Dwight from $105.00 to $108.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 9th. Finally, TD Cowen lowered Church & Dwight from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $100.00 price objective on the stock. in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Church & Dwight has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $104.38.

Insider Transactions at Church & Dwight

In other Church & Dwight news, EVP Michael Read bought 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 9th. The shares were bought at an average price of $92.07 per share, with a total value of $276,210.00. Following the purchase, the executive vice president directly owned 5,505 shares in the company, valued at $506,845.35. This trade represents a 119.76% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Carlen Hooker sold 11,875 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.75, for a total transaction of $1,172,656.25. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 262 shares of the company's stock, valued at $25,872.50. The trade was a 97.84% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 50,575 shares of company stock worth $4,910,586 in the last quarter. 1.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

About Church & Dwight

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.

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