Insider Selling: Church & Dwight (NYSE:CHD) Director Sells $1,298,080.00 in Stock

Key Points

• Church & Dwight director Janet Vergis sold 11,590 shares for $1.30 million at an average price of $112, reducing her stake by 35.36% to 21,188 shares.
• The company beat quarterly estimates, reporting EPS of $0.92 versus $0.90 expected and revenue of $1.60 billion versus $1.58 billion; revenue rose 1% year over year.
• Church & Dwight declared a quarterly dividend of $0.3075 per share, equivalent to an annualized yield of about 1.1%. Analysts’ consensus rating was Hold, with an average price target of $108.44.

Church & Dwight Co., Inc. (NYSE:CHD - Get Free Report) Director Janet Vergis sold 11,590 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $112.00, for a total transaction of $1,298,080.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 21,188 shares in the company, valued at $2,373,056. This trade represents a 35.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink.

Church & Dwight Stock Performance

NYSE:CHD traded up $1.12 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $112.85. 1,393,069 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,061,494. Church & Dwight Co., Inc. has a one year low of $81.49 and a one year high of $114.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a current ratio of 0.96. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $101.07 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $98.55. The firm has a market capitalization of $26.64 billion, a PE ratio of 34.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.97 and a beta of 0.45.

Church & Dwight (NYSE:CHD - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, October 30th. The company reported $0.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.90 by $0.02. Church & Dwight had a net margin of 12.41% and a return on equity of 20.28%. The firm had revenue of $1.60 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.58 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.81 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Church & Dwight Co., Inc. will post 3.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Church & Dwight Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 1st. Investors of record on Friday, November 13th will be given a dividend of $0.3075 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 13th. This represents a $1.23 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. Church & Dwight's dividend payout ratio is currently 37.85%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. TD Cowen reaffirmed a "hold" rating and issued a $115.00 price objective (up from $97.00) on shares of Church & Dwight in a report on Tuesday, November 3rd. Barclays upped their target price on Church & Dwight from $83.00 to $89.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 3rd. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of Church & Dwight in a report on Wednesday, October 14th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a "buy" rating and issued a $115.00 price target on shares of Church & Dwight in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Church & Dwight from $112.00 to $117.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, November 2nd. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $108.44.

Institutional Trading of Church & Dwight

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System boosted its holdings in shares of Church & Dwight by 7.6% in the 3rd quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System now owns 224,578 shares of the company's stock valued at $21,160,000 after purchasing an additional 15,893 shares in the last quarter. Polymer Capital Management US LLC bought a new stake in shares of Church & Dwight during the 3rd quarter worth $1,476,000. Portland Global Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Church & Dwight by 3.4% during the 3rd quarter. Portland Global Advisors LLC now owns 89,450 shares of the company's stock worth $8,428,000 after buying an additional 2,966 shares during the last quarter. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. lifted its position in shares of Church & Dwight by 8.5% during the 3rd quarter. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. now owns 6,474 shares of the company's stock worth $610,000 after buying an additional 507 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP boosted its stake in Church & Dwight by 3.5% in the third quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 455,278 shares of the company's stock valued at $42,896,000 after buying an additional 15,398 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.60% of the company's stock.

About Church & Dwight

Church & Dwight is a consumer products company whose history traces to 1846, when John Dwight and Austin Church began producing baking soda. The company is best known for its ARM & HAMMER brand and sells household, personal care, and specialty products under a portfolio of owned brands. Its products include laundry detergents and cleaners, oral care items, cat litter, deodorants, condoms, pregnancy and ovulation tests, hair-removal products, and water flossers. Brands include OxiClean, Trojan, First Response, Nair, Waterpik, and TheraBreath, alongside ARM & HAMMER.

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