Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co Takes $9.79 Million Position in Church & Dwight Co., Inc. $CHD

Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co bought a new position in Church & Dwight Co., Inc. (NYSE:CHD) during the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor bought 101,100 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,795,000.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in CHD. Godfrey Financial Associates Inc. purchased a new stake in Church & Dwight during the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Edmond DE Rothschild Holding S.A. purchased a new position in shares of Church & Dwight in the 2nd quarter worth about $25,000. Elyxium Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Church & Dwight in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. DV Equities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Church & Dwight in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, GW&K Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Church & Dwight by 83.0% during the 4th quarter. GW&K Investment Management LLC now owns 344 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 156 shares during the period. 86.60% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently commented on CHD. TD Cowen set a $97.00 price target on shares of Church & Dwight and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, August 3rd. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $107.00 price objective (up from $104.00) on shares of Church & Dwight in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $115.00 price objective on shares of Church & Dwight in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Citigroup reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $105.00 target price (up from $100.00) on shares of Church & Dwight in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Church & Dwight from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, August 16th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $104.41.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Arthur B. Winkleblack sold 13,200 shares of Church & Dwight stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $102.83, for a total value of $1,357,356.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 7,129 shares in the company, valued at approximately $733,075.07. The trade was a 64.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Carlos G. Linares sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $99.71, for a total transaction of $997,100.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 4,668 shares in the company, valued at $465,446.28. This trade represents a 68.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 59,220 shares of company stock valued at $5,905,747. 1.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Church & Dwight Trading Down 0.0%

Shares of CHD opened at $98.79 on Monday. Church & Dwight Co., Inc. has a one year low of $81.33 and a one year high of $106.04. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $98.56 and a 200 day moving average price of $97.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a current ratio of 1.15. The company has a market capitalization of $23.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.77, a P/E/G ratio of 3.60 and a beta of 0.47.

Church & Dwight (NYSE:CHD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 31st. The company reported $0.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.90 by ($0.01). Church & Dwight had a return on equity of 20.10% and a net margin of 11.96%.The business had revenue of $1.53 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.50 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.94 earnings per share. Church & Dwight’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Church & Dwight has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 0.890-0.890 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 3.740-3.810 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Church & Dwight Co., Inc. will post 3.78 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Church & Dwight Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 14th will be given a dividend of $0.3075 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 14th. This represents a $1.23 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. Church & Dwight’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.55%.

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.