Welch & Forbes LLC Lowers Holdings in Church & Dwight Co., Inc. $CHD

Key Points

• Welch & Forbes LLC reduced its Church & Dwight stake by 8.2% in the fourth quarter, selling 36,353 shares and leaving it with 407,322 shares valued at about $34.2 million.
• Church & Dwight beat first-quarter expectations, reporting earnings of $0.95 per share on revenue of $1.47 billion, and it raised its guidance for Q2 2026 and fiscal 2026.
• The company continues to reward shareholders with a dividend, declaring a quarterly payout of $0.3075 per share, equivalent to an annualized yield of about 1.3%.

Welch & Forbes LLC decreased its stake in shares of Church & Dwight Co., Inc. (NYSE:CHD - Free Report) by 8.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 407,322 shares of the company's stock after selling 36,353 shares during the quarter. Welch & Forbes LLC owned about 0.17% of Church & Dwight worth $34,154,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Godfrey Financial Associates Inc. purchased a new position in Church & Dwight during the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Elyxium Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Church & Dwight during the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. raised its stake in Church & Dwight by 101.3% during the third quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. now owns 322 shares of the company's stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 162 shares during the last quarter. Field & Main Bank purchased a new position in Church & Dwight during the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new position in Church & Dwight during the third quarter valued at $30,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.60% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Church & Dwight

In other news, Director Penry W. Price sold 7,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $100.58, for a total transaction of $704,060.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 30,070 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,024,440.60. The trade was a 18.88% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 2.00% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Church & Dwight Stock Performance

Shares of CHD opened at $95.75 on Friday. Church & Dwight Co., Inc. has a one year low of $81.33 and a one year high of $106.04. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.50, a PEG ratio of 3.47 and a beta of 0.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 1.22 and a quick ratio of 0.81. The business has a fifty day moving average of $94.82 and a 200 day moving average of $92.56.

Church & Dwight (NYSE:CHD - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 1st. The company reported $0.95 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.93 by $0.02. Church & Dwight had a net margin of 11.81% and a return on equity of 20.51%. The firm had revenue of $1.47 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.46 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.91 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up .1% on a year-over-year basis. Church & Dwight has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 0.880-0.880 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 3.710-3.810 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Church & Dwight Co., Inc. will post 3.76 EPS for the current year.

Church & Dwight Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.3075 per share. This represents a $1.23 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 15th. Church & Dwight's dividend payout ratio is currently 40.46%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have commented on the company. UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $100.00 target price (up from $98.00) on shares of Church & Dwight in a report on Monday, May 4th. TD Cowen lifted their target price on Church & Dwight from $99.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, February 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Church & Dwight from $98.00 to $99.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Wall Street Zen lowered Church & Dwight from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Saturday, May 9th. Finally, Barclays reduced their target price on Church & Dwight from $85.00 to $80.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Church & Dwight currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $103.00.

About Church & Dwight

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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