Bank of Nova Scotia Sells 15,150 Shares of Church & Dwight Co., Inc. $CHD

Key Points

• Bank of Nova Scotia reduced its stake in Church & Dwight by 8.2% in the first quarter, selling 15,150 shares and leaving it with 169,122 shares valued at about $15.8 million.
• Insider selling has also been notable, with directors and executives selling shares over the past 90 days, including Robert K. Shearer and Carlos G. Linares; insiders have sold 47,680 shares total.
• Church & Dwight reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings of $0.95 per share and revenue of $1.47 billion, while analysts currently hold a consensus "Hold" rating with a price target of $103.82.

Bank of Nova Scotia trimmed its holdings in shares of Church & Dwight Co., Inc. (NYSE:CHD - Free Report) by 8.2% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 169,122 shares of the company's stock after selling 15,150 shares during the quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia owned about 0.07% of Church & Dwight worth $15,782,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of CHD. Sei Investments Co. grew its stake in Church & Dwight by 47.8% in the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 495,047 shares of the company's stock worth $46,198,000 after buying an additional 160,086 shares in the last quarter. Lido Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Church & Dwight by 4.1% during the 1st quarter. Lido Advisors LLC now owns 35,774 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,338,000 after buying an additional 1,418 shares in the last quarter. State of Wyoming purchased a new stake in shares of Church & Dwight during the 1st quarter valued at $124,000. Cetera Investment Advisers lifted its holdings in shares of Church & Dwight by 20.4% during the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 110,654 shares of the company's stock worth $10,326,000 after acquiring an additional 18,761 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Alpha Family Trust bought a new stake in shares of Church & Dwight during the 1st quarter worth $297,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.60% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Robert K. Shearer sold 8,600 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $97.97, for a total transaction of $842,542.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 30,678 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,005,523.66. This represents a 21.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Carlos G. Linares sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $99.71, for a total transaction of $997,100.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 4,668 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $465,446.28. This represents a 68.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 47,680 shares of company stock worth $4,672,190. 2.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently commented on CHD shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $109.00 target price on shares of Church & Dwight in a research note on Monday, May 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Church & Dwight from $99.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Barclays upped their price objective on Church & Dwight from $79.00 to $86.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $110.00 price objective (up from $105.00) on shares of Church & Dwight in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Finally, Evercore set a $105.00 target price on Church & Dwight in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Church & Dwight has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $103.82.

Church & Dwight Stock Performance

Shares of CHD stock opened at $97.71 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 1.22. Church & Dwight Co., Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $81.33 and a fifty-two week high of $106.04. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $96.85 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $96.11. The company has a market capitalization of $23.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.14, a PEG ratio of 3.52 and a beta of 0.47.

Church & Dwight (NYSE:CHD - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Friday, May 1st. The company reported $0.95 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.93 by $0.02. Church & Dwight had a net margin of 11.81% and a return on equity of 20.51%. The firm had revenue of $1.47 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.46 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.91 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up .1% on a year-over-year basis. Church & Dwight has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 0.880-0.880 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 3.710-3.810 EPS. Analysts expect that Church & Dwight Co., Inc. will post 3.74 earnings per share for the current year.

Church & Dwight Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 15th were given a dividend of $0.3075 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 15th. This represents a $1.23 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. Church & Dwight's dividend payout ratio is presently 40.46%.

Church & Dwight Company Profile

Church & Dwight Co, Inc is a U.S.-based consumer products company best known for its Arm & Hammer baking soda business. Founded in 1846 with the manufacture and marketing of sodium bicarbonate, the company has grown into a diversified maker and marketer of household, personal care and specialty products. Church & Dwight is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker CHD and is headquartered in Ewing, New Jersey.

The company's portfolio spans a range of categories including household cleaning and laundry, oral care, personal care, sexual wellness and health & wellness.

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