CX Institutional Makes New Investment in Church & Dwight Co., Inc. (NYSE:CHD)

CX Institutional acquired a new position in shares of Church & Dwight Co., Inc. (NYSE:CHD) in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 1,869 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $206,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC bought a new stake in shares of Church & Dwight during the fourth quarter worth approximately $39,000. Bernard Wealth Management Corp. acquired a new position in shares of Church & Dwight in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its position in shares of Church & Dwight by 42.1% in the first 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. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust acquired a new position in shares of Church & Dwight in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Finally, Banque Transatlantique SA acquired a new position in shares of Church & Dwight in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $46,000. 86.60% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Evercore ISI decreased their price target on shares of 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. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Church & Dwight from $94.00 to $84.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Church & Dwight from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Church & Dwight from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Finally, Cowen downgraded shares of Church & Dwight from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Church & Dwight currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $108.67.

Church & Dwight Stock Down 2.1%

Shares of NYSE CHD opened at $97.04 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.70, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. The company has a market cap of $23.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.95, a PEG ratio of 3.32 and a beta of 0.52. Church & Dwight Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $90.99 and a 12 month high of $116.46. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $98.41 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $103.94.

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

Church & Dwight Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 2nd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 15th were paid a dividend of $0.295 per share. This represents a $1.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.22%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 15th. Church & Dwight’s payout ratio is 50.64%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Carlen Hooker sold 11,875 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.75, for a total value of $1,172,656.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 262 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $25,872.50. This represents a 97.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Michael Read acquired 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 9th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $92.07 per share, with a total value of $276,210.00. Following the purchase, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,505 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $506,845.35. This trade represents a 119.76% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders sold 44,195 shares of company stock valued at $4,283,432 over the last quarter. 1.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.