Insider Selling: Church & Dwight (NYSE:CHD) Director Sells 11,590 Shares of Stock

Church & Dwight Co., Inc. (NYSE:CHD) Director Janet Vergis sold 11,590 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 11th. The stock was 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 directly owned 21,188 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,373,056. This trade represents a 35.36% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Church & Dwight Price Performance

Shares of CHD traded up $1.12 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $112.85. The company had a trading volume of 1,393,069 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,061,494. The company has a market capitalization of $26.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.72, a P/E/G ratio of 3.97 and a beta of 0.45. 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 company’s 50 day simple moving average is $101.07 and its 200 day simple moving average is $98.55. Church & Dwight Co., Inc. has a 1-year low of $81.49 and a 1-year high of $114.64.

Church & Dwight (NYSE:CHD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, October 30th. The company reported $0.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.90 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $1.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.58 billion. Church & Dwight had a net margin of 12.41% and a return on equity of 20.28%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.81 EPS. Analysts expect that Church & Dwight Co., Inc. will post 3.77 EPS for the current year.

Church & Dwight Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

CHD has been the subject of a number of research reports. Barclays increased their price target on Church & Dwight from $83.00 to $89.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 3rd. Citigroup raised their price objective on Church & Dwight from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, November 2nd. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Church & Dwight from $112.00 to $117.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, November 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Church & Dwight from $105.00 to $109.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, November 2nd. Finally, TD Cowen reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $115.00 target price (up from $97.00) on shares of Church & Dwight in a research report on Tuesday, November 3rd. Eight 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 company. According to MarketBeat.com, Church & Dwight currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $108.44.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Church & Dwight

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in Church & Dwight during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $2,174,535,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its stake in shares of Church & Dwight by 51.2% during the first quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 5,050,105 shares of the company’s stock valued at $468,902,000 after acquiring an additional 1,709,090 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its stake in shares of Church & Dwight by 18.5% during the second quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 2,925,749 shares of the company’s stock valued at $283,447,000 after acquiring an additional 457,445 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its holdings in shares of Church & Dwight by 28.9% during the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 2,548,871 shares of the company’s stock worth $237,861,000 after purchasing an additional 572,085 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Church & Dwight by 3.1% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,170,890 shares of the company’s stock worth $202,597,000 after purchasing an additional 64,803 shares during the period. 86.60% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Church & Dwight Company Profile

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.