Vanguard Group Inc. Raises Holdings in Church & Dwight Co., Inc. (NYSE:CHD)

Key Points

• Vanguard Group Inc. has increased its stake in Church & Dwight Co., Inc. by 2.4%, owning approximately 31.4 million shares worth $3.46 billion at the end of the reporting period.
• Several institutional investors have also adjusted their positions, with 86.60% of the stock now owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
• Church & Dwight recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.295 per share, representing a dividend yield of 1.3%, with a payout ratio of 55.66%.

Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Church & Dwight Co., Inc. (NYSE:CHD - Free Report) by 2.4% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 31,441,639 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 750,575 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 12.78% of Church & Dwight worth $3,461,410,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Advisory Alpha LLC lifted its stake in Church & Dwight by 3.7% in the first quarter. Advisory Alpha LLC now owns 2,707 shares of the company's stock valued at $298,000 after buying an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund increased its holdings in shares of Church & Dwight by 0.5% in the 1st quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 21,115 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,325,000 after acquiring an additional 110 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its position in Church & Dwight by 42.1% in the 1st quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 378 shares of the company's stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 112 shares during the last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. raised its position in Church & Dwight by 19.5% in the 1st quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 687 shares of the company's stock valued at $76,000 after purchasing an additional 112 shares during the last quarter. Finally, KFG Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Church & Dwight by 2.2% during the 1st quarter. KFG Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,476 shares of the company's stock worth $603,000 after purchasing an additional 119 shares during the period. 86.60% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have commented on the stock. Rothschild & Co Redburn lowered shares of Church & Dwight from a "neutral" rating to a "sell" rating and set a $83.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Monday, July 14th. Redburn Atlantic cut Church & Dwight from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Monday, July 14th. 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 note on Monday, April 28th. Bank of America upgraded Church & Dwight from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their target price for the company from $112.00 to $125.00 in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on Church & Dwight from $110.00 to $100.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, May 5th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $103.94.

Insider Transactions at Church & Dwight

In related news, Director Ravichandra Krishnamu Saligram sold 14,660 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $99.00, for a total value of $1,451,340.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 13,747 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,360,953. This trade represents a 51.61% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Carlen Hooker sold 6,380 shares of Church & Dwight stock in a transaction on Monday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.30, for a total value of $627,154.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 262 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $25,754.60. This represents a 96.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 35,915 shares of company stock worth $3,545,300 over the last quarter. Insiders own 2.00% of the company's stock.

Church & Dwight Price Performance

Church & Dwight stock opened at $92.62 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $22.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 43.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.82 and a beta of 0.43. Church & Dwight Co., Inc. has a one year low of $90.82 and a one year high of $116.46. The business has a fifty day moving average of $96.82 and a two-hundred day moving average of $101.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a current ratio of 1.84.

Church & Dwight (NYSE:CHD - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, August 1st. The company reported $0.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.85 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $1.51 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.48 billion. Church & Dwight had a net margin of 8.66% and a return on equity of 19.27%. The business's revenue was down .3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.93 EPS. As a group, 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.295 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 15th. This represents a $1.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. Church & Dwight's payout ratio is 55.66%.

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.

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