UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC Raises Holdings in Church & Dwight Co., Inc. (NYSE:CHD)

UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its holdings in shares of Church & Dwight Co., Inc. (NYSE:CHD - Free Report) by 5.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,404,961 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 124,560 shares during the quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC owned 0.98% of Church & Dwight worth $251,823,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. American Century Companies Inc. raised its position 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 worth $149,335,000 after buying an additional 6,425 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in shares of Church & Dwight by 19.4% in the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 7,336,046 shares of the company's stock worth $768,157,000 after acquiring an additional 1,190,154 shares during the period. Merit Financial Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Church & Dwight by 131.0% in the fourth quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 5,769 shares of the company's stock worth $604,000 after acquiring an additional 3,272 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Church & Dwight during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $76,565,000. Finally, LPL Financial LLC lifted its position in Church & Dwight by 13.4% during the fourth 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 during the period. 86.60% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Church & Dwight Stock Performance

Shares of CHD stock traded up $1.79 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $97.73. 833,667 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,661,023. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $100.77 and a 200 day moving average price of $104.99. The company has a market cap of $24.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.20, a P/E/G ratio of 3.32 and a beta of 0.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 1.70 and a quick ratio of 1.24. Church & Dwight Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $90.99 and a 12-month high of $116.46.

Church & Dwight (NYSE:CHD - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported $0.91 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.89 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $1.47 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.52 billion. Church & Dwight had a net margin of 9.58% and a return on equity of 20.03%. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 2.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.96 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Church & Dwight Co., Inc. will post 3.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Church & Dwight Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 2nd. Investors of record on Thursday, May 15th will be issued a $0.295 dividend. This represents a $1.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.21%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 15th. Church & Dwight's dividend payout ratio is currently 50.64%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Church & Dwight news, EVP Michael Read purchased 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 9th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $92.07 per share, with a total value of $276,210.00. Following the acquisition, the executive vice president now owns 5,505 shares in the company, valued at approximately $506,845.35. This trade represents a 119.76% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Richard A. Dierker purchased 7,950 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 13th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $94.66 per share, with a total value of $752,547.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer now directly owns 16,358 shares in the company, valued at $1,548,448.28. This trade represents a 94.55% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 80,230 shares of company stock valued at $8,903,734. Company insiders own 2.00% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Cowen cut shares of Church & Dwight from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Wall Street Zen cut Church & Dwight from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. Bank of America upgraded Church & Dwight from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price target for the stock from $112.00 to $125.00 in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Oppenheimer reduced their price objective on Church & Dwight from $120.00 to $115.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Finally, TD Cowen downgraded Church & Dwight from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $100.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $109.13.

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.