20,133 Church & Dwight Co., Inc. $CHD Shares Acquired by Candriam S.C.A.

Candriam S.C.A. raised its stake in shares of Church & Dwight Co., Inc. (NYSE:CHD) by 7.8% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 279,262 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 20,133 shares during the period. Candriam S.C.A.’s holdings in Church & Dwight were worth $26,408,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Edmond DE Rothschild Holding S.A. purchased a new stake in shares of Church & Dwight during the 2nd quarter valued at $25,000. Clearstead Trust LLC bought a new stake in shares of Church & Dwight during the 2nd quarter worth $33,000. Field & Main Bank bought a new stake in shares of Church & Dwight during the 2nd quarter worth $34,000. Triumph Capital Management grew its position in Church & Dwight by 516.4% in the third quarter. Triumph Capital Management now owns 376 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 315 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quest 10 Wealth Builders Inc. grew its position in Church & Dwight by 176.1% in the third quarter. Quest 10 Wealth Builders Inc. now owns 392 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 250 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.60% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Church & Dwight

In related news, EVP Carlos Linares sold 15,375 shares of Church & Dwight stock in a transaction on Monday, August 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $102.00, for a total value of $1,568,250.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 4,668 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $476,136. The trade was a 76.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Rene Hemsey sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $102.25, for a total transaction of $511,250.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 8,086 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $826,793.50. This represents a 38.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders have sold 141,390 shares of company stock valued at $15,252,844. 1.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently commented on CHD. Barclays increased their target price on Church & Dwight from $83.00 to $89.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 3rd. Oppenheimer lifted their price target on Church & Dwight from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 28th. Citigroup upped their price objective on Church & Dwight from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, November 2nd. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Church & Dwight in a report on Wednesday, October 14th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price objective on Church & Dwight from $106.00 to $112.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, November 2nd. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $108.44.

Church & Dwight Price Performance

CHD opened at $109.25 on Monday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $100.14 and its 200 day simple moving average is $98.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.62. Church & Dwight Co., Inc. has a 1 year low of $81.49 and a 1 year high of $114.64. The firm has a market cap of $25.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.62, a PEG ratio of 3.87 and a beta of 0.45.

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

Church & Dwight Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 13th will be issued a $0.3075 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 13th. This represents a $1.23 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. Church & Dwight’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 37.85%.

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.

Church & Dwight serves consumers in the United States and international markets.