First National Advisers LLC Boosts Stock Holdings in Church & Dwight Co., Inc. (NYSE:CHD)

Key Points

• First National Advisers LLC increased its stake in Church & Dwight Co., Inc. by 41%, acquiring a total of 42,984 shares, which represents 0.8% of its investment portfolio.
• Insider transactions included Director Ravichandra Krishnamu Saligram selling 14,660 shares and EVP Michael Read purchasing 3,000 shares, indicating mixed insider sentiments.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.295 per share, resulting in an annualized dividend yield of 1.21%.

First National Advisers LLC increased its position in Church & Dwight Co., Inc. (NYSE:CHD - Free Report) by 41.0% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 42,984 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 12,500 shares during the quarter. Church & Dwight makes up 0.8% of First National Advisers LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 27th largest holding. First National Advisers LLC's holdings in Church & Dwight were worth $4,732,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Teacher Retirement System of Texas acquired a new position in Church & Dwight in the fourth quarter worth $240,000. LPL Financial LLC boosted its stake in Church & Dwight by 13.4% in the fourth quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 184,133 shares of the company's stock worth $19,281,000 after purchasing an additional 21,742 shares in the last quarter. Korea Investment CORP raised its position in shares of Church & Dwight by 67.6% during the fourth quarter. Korea Investment CORP now owns 189,642 shares of the company's stock worth $19,857,000 after acquiring an additional 76,520 shares during the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its position in shares of Church & Dwight by 9.2% during the fourth quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 442,126 shares of the company's stock worth $46,264,000 after acquiring an additional 37,355 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co raised its position in shares of Church & Dwight by 14.6% during the fourth quarter. Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co now owns 24,887 shares of the company's stock worth $2,606,000 after acquiring an additional 3,167 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.60% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Richard A. Dierker acquired 7,950 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 13th. The shares were bought at an average price of $94.66 per share, with a total value of $752,547.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer directly owned 16,358 shares in the company, valued at $1,548,448.28. The trade was a 94.55% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Carlen Hooker sold 11,875 shares of Church & Dwight 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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 262 shares in the company, valued at $25,872.50. The trade was a 97.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 50,575 shares of company stock worth $4,910,586. 2.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on CHD shares. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Church & Dwight from $105.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 9th. Barclays dropped their target price on Church & Dwight from $94.00 to $84.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Truist Financial set a $110.00 price objective on Church & Dwight and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, June 6th. Evercore ISI dropped their price objective on Church & Dwight from $106.00 to $102.00 and set an "in-line" rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Church & Dwight from $92.00 to $97.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a report on Friday, July 25th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $104.38.

Church & Dwight Stock Down 1.7%

NYSE CHD traded down $1.62 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $94.33. 1,846,158 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,023,745. The business's 50-day moving average is $97.33 and its 200-day moving average is $101.88. Church & Dwight Co., Inc. has a twelve month low of $90.99 and a twelve month high of $116.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a current ratio of 1.95. The stock has a market capitalization of $23.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.48, a P/E/G ratio of 3.87 and a beta of 0.51.

Church & Dwight (NYSE:CHD - Get Free Report) last issued 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 return on equity of 19.28% and a net margin of 9.52%. The firm had revenue of $1.47 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.52 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.96 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was down 2.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Church & Dwight Co., Inc. will post 3.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Church & Dwight Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, August 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.295 per share. This represents a $1.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.25%. Church & Dwight's payout ratio is currently 50.64%.

Church & Dwight 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.