Church & Dwight Co., Inc. $CHD Shares Purchased by Renaissance Technologies LLC

Key Points

• Renaissance Technologies increased its Church & Dwight stake by 41.7% to 190,713 shares in the first quarter, while institutional investors collectively own 86.6% of the company.
• Analysts maintain a consensus “Hold” rating with an average price target of $103.82; recent quarterly results beat estimates, with $0.95 EPS and $1.47 billion in revenue.
• Church & Dwight declared a quarterly dividend of $0.3075 per share, equal to an annualized $1.23 payout and a 1.3% yield, while insiders have sold 47,680 shares worth approximately $4.67 million over the past 90 days.

Renaissance Technologies LLC raised its holdings in Church & Dwight Co., Inc. (NYSE:CHD - Free Report) by 41.7% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 190,713 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 56,100 shares during the quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC owned 0.08% of Church & Dwight worth $17,797,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Church & Dwight during the fourth quarter worth about $269,789,000. Capital International Investors lifted its position in shares of Church & Dwight by 18.1% during the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 11,302,929 shares of the company's stock valued at $947,820,000 after acquiring an additional 1,734,801 shares during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its stake in shares of Church & Dwight by 51.2% during the 1st quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 5,050,105 shares of the company's stock worth $468,902,000 after acquiring an additional 1,709,090 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in shares of Church & Dwight by 24.0% during the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 7,610,224 shares of the company's stock worth $638,117,000 after acquiring an additional 1,473,894 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FIL Ltd grew its holdings in shares of Church & Dwight by 707.4% in the 4th quarter. FIL Ltd now owns 1,220,172 shares of the company's stock worth $102,311,000 after acquiring an additional 1,069,051 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.60% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Church & Dwight news, Director Penry W. Price sold 5,960 shares of Church & Dwight stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $94.86, for a total value of $565,365.60. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 30,070 shares in the company, valued at $2,852,440.20. The trade was a 16.54% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, 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 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 position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 47,680 shares of company stock valued at $4,672,190. 2.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings raised Church & Dwight from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Wall Street Zen raised Church & Dwight from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, June 13th. UBS Group raised their price target on Church & Dwight from $100.00 to $104.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Church & Dwight from $99.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $109.00 price objective on shares of Church & Dwight in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $103.82.

Church & Dwight Stock Performance

Church & Dwight stock opened at $97.55 on Friday. Church & Dwight Co., Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $81.33 and a fifty-two week high of $106.04. The company has a market capitalization of $23.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.09, a PEG ratio of 3.59 and a beta of 0.47. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $97.08 and a two-hundred day moving average of $96.58. 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 (NYSE:CHD - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 1st. The company reported $0.95 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.93 by $0.02. Church & Dwight had a return on equity of 20.51% and a net margin of 11.81%.The business had revenue of $1.47 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.46 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.91 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up .1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts anticipate that Church & Dwight Co., Inc. will post 3.74 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Church & Dwight Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 14th will be given a $0.3075 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 14th. This represents a $1.23 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. Church & Dwight's payout ratio is currently 40.46%.

Church & Dwight 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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