Wendell David Associates Inc. Sells 6,091 Shares of Church & Dwight Co., Inc. (NYSE:CHD)

Wendell David Associates Inc. lessened its position in Church & Dwight Co., Inc. (NYSE:CHD - Free Report) by 3.5% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 167,574 shares of the company's stock after selling 6,091 shares during the quarter. Church & Dwight accounts for approximately 1.8% of Wendell David Associates Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 15th largest holding. Wendell David Associates Inc. owned about 0.07% of Church & Dwight worth $18,448,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Church & Dwight during the fourth quarter valued at about $318,532,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in shares of Church & Dwight by 19.4% during the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 7,336,046 shares of the company's stock valued at $768,157,000 after buying an additional 1,190,154 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in shares of Church & Dwight by 12,489.8% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 861,895 shares of the company's stock valued at $94,886,000 after buying an additional 855,049 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Church & Dwight during the fourth quarter worth about $76,565,000. Finally, Ceredex Value Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Church & Dwight in the fourth quarter worth about $49,504,000. Institutional investors own 86.60% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Richard A. Dierker acquired 7,950 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 13th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $94.66 per share, for a total transaction of $752,547.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer now directly owns 16,358 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,548,448.28. The trade was a 94.55% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Michael Read acquired 3,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 9th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $92.07 per share, with a total value of $276,210.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the executive vice president now owns 5,505 shares in the company, valued at $506,845.35. The trade was a 119.76% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 44,195 shares of company stock worth $4,283,432 in the last three months. Insiders own 2.00% of the company's stock.

Church & Dwight Price Performance

CHD stock opened at $97.78 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $98.33 and a 200-day moving average price of $103.81. Church & Dwight Co., Inc. has a 52-week low of $90.99 and a 52-week high of $116.46. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.26, a PEG ratio of 3.32 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a current ratio of 1.70.

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

Church & Dwight Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently issued reports on CHD. Bank of America raised Church & Dwight from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their target price for the stock from $112.00 to $125.00 in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Royal Bank of Canada raised Church & Dwight from a "sector perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and raised their target price for the stock from $100.00 to $114.00 in a research note on Monday, June 2nd. Wall Street Zen cut Church & Dwight from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Evercore ISI cut their target price on Church & Dwight from $106.00 to $102.00 and set an "in-line" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Church & Dwight from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $108.67.

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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