Church & Dwight Co., Inc. (NYSE:CHD) Holdings Increased by Board of the Pension Protection Fund

Board of the Pension Protection Fund raised its position in Church & Dwight Co., Inc. (NYSE:CHD - Free Report) by 60.7% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 9,800 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 3,700 shares during the period. Church & Dwight comprises about 1.2% of Board of the Pension Protection Fund's investment portfolio, making the stock its 10th largest position. Board of the Pension Protection Fund's holdings in Church & Dwight were worth $1,079,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings in Church & Dwight by 89.3% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 53,164 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,567,000 after purchasing an additional 25,080 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its holdings in Church & Dwight by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,426,177 shares of the company's stock valued at $149,335,000 after purchasing an additional 6,425 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in Church & Dwight by 19.4% in the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 7,336,046 shares of the company's stock valued at $768,157,000 after purchasing an additional 1,190,154 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Church & Dwight in the 4th quarter valued at about $76,565,000. Finally, LPL Financial LLC lifted its holdings in Church & Dwight by 13.4% in the 4th quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 184,133 shares of the company's stock valued at $19,281,000 after purchasing an additional 21,742 shares in the last quarter. 86.60% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have issued reports on CHD shares. Bank of America upgraded shares of Church & Dwight from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their target price for the company from $112.00 to $125.00 in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Cowen lowered shares of Church & Dwight from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. UBS Group cut their price objective on shares of Church & Dwight from $110.00 to $102.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Church & Dwight from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of Church & Dwight from $110.00 to $100.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, May 5th. Two 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 company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Church & Dwight has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $108.29.

Insider Transactions at Church & Dwight

In related news, EVP Carlen Hooker sold 11,875 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.75, for a total value of $1,172,656.25. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 262 shares in the company, valued at approximately $25,872.50. This trade represents a 97.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Penry W. Price sold 14,660 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $93.13, for a total transaction of $1,365,285.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 27,043 shares in the company, valued at $2,518,514.59. The trade was a 35.15% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 50,575 shares of company stock valued at $4,910,586 in the last three months. 1.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Church & Dwight Trading Up 1.4%

NYSE CHD traded up $1.32 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $96.10. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,824,410 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,749,423. Church & Dwight Co., Inc. has a 52-week low of $90.99 and a 52-week high of $116.46. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $96.71 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $102.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 1.95 and a quick ratio of 1.43. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.80 and a beta of 0.52.

Church & Dwight (NYSE:CHD - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported $0.91 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.89 by $0.02. Church & Dwight had a net margin of 9.52% and a return on equity of 19.28%. The firm had revenue of $1.47 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.52 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.96 earnings per share. Church & Dwight's revenue for the quarter was down 2.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that Church & Dwight Co., Inc. will post 3.7 EPS for the current year.

Church & Dwight Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 2nd. Investors of record on Thursday, May 15th were issued a $0.295 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $1.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.23%. Church & Dwight's payout ratio is 50.64%.

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.