Church & Dwight (NYSE:CHD) Shares Gap Up Following Strong Earnings

Church & Dwight Co., Inc. (NYSE:CHD) gapped up before the market opened on Friday after the company announced better than expected quarterly earnings. The stock had previously closed at $91.96, but opened at $96.46. Church & Dwight shares last traded at $95.2420, with a volume of 217,915 shares.

The company reported $0.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.85 by $0.01. Church & Dwight had a net margin of 12.74% and a return on equity of 19.32%. The firm had revenue of $1.64 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.64 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.76 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently commented on the company. Citigroup raised Church & Dwight from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and increased their target price for the company from $85.00 to $87.00 in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Bank of America decreased their price target on Church & Dwight from $120.00 to $105.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Raymond James Financial upgraded shares of Church & Dwight from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $100.00 price target for the company in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Church & Dwight in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $100.00 price target (down from $102.00) on shares of Church & Dwight in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Church & Dwight currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $98.85.

Institutional Trading of Church & Dwight

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. True Wealth Design LLC lifted its holdings in Church & Dwight by 935.5% in the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 321 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 290 shares in the last quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Church & Dwight by 101.3% in the third quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. now owns 322 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 162 shares in the last quarter. CVA Family Office LLC boosted its holdings in Church & Dwight by 58.1% in the third quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 332 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 122 shares during the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd acquired a new stake in Church & Dwight during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Field & Main Bank purchased a new stake in Church & Dwight during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.60% of the company’s stock.

Church & Dwight Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $22.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.28 and a beta of 0.46. The company has a current ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 0.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $86.23 and a 200-day simple moving average of $88.94.

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.