Church & Dwight (NYSE:CHD) Shares Gap Up – What’s Next?

Church & Dwight Co., Inc. (NYSE:CHD)’s stock price gapped up prior to trading on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $99.91, but opened at $105.75. Church & Dwight shares last traded at $105.75, with a volume of 507,571 shares traded.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently commented on CHD. Morgan Stanley lowered shares of Church & Dwight from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and set a $110.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Monday, September 9th. TD Cowen started coverage on Church & Dwight in a research note on Tuesday, July 23rd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $116.00 price target on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on Church & Dwight from $107.00 to $105.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, August 5th. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Church & Dwight from $82.00 to $86.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, October 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Church & Dwight from $116.00 to $108.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, August 5th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Church & Dwight presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $107.50.

Church & Dwight Stock Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 1.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. The business’s fifty day moving average is $102.84 and its two-hundred day moving average is $104.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $25.94 billion, a PE ratio of 32.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.71 and a beta of 0.54.

Church & Dwight (NYSE:CHD) last released its earnings results on Friday, August 2nd. The company reported $0.93 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.84 by $0.09. Church & Dwight had a return on equity of 19.86% and a net margin of 13.38%. The firm had revenue of $1.51 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.51 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.92 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Church & Dwight Co., Inc. will post 3.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Church & Dwight Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 2nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be given a $0.2838 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. This represents a $1.14 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.07%. Church & Dwight’s payout ratio is presently 34.77%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Church & Dwight

In related news, EVP Barry A. Bruno sold 59,328 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $99.37, for a total transaction of $5,895,423.36. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 4,319 shares in the company, valued at $429,179.03. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders own 2.00% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Church & Dwight

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co increased its stake in shares of Church & Dwight by 13.1% in the first quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 342,699 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,755,000 after acquiring an additional 39,695 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its position in shares of Church & Dwight by 12.8% in the first quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 208,997 shares of the company’s stock worth $21,798,000 after acquiring an additional 23,754 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its stake in shares of Church & Dwight by 74.6% during the 2nd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 67,823 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,032,000 after acquiring an additional 28,986 shares in the last quarter. Mizuho Markets Americas LLC grew its position in shares of Church & Dwight by 117.1% during the 1st quarter. Mizuho Markets Americas LLC now owns 107,206 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,183,000 after acquiring an additional 57,817 shares during the period. Finally, Tidal Investments LLC raised its holdings in Church & Dwight by 160.1% in the 1st quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 23,530 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,454,000 after purchasing an additional 14,483 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.60% of the company’s stock.

Church & Dwight Company Profile

Church & Dwight Co, Inc develops, manufactures, and markets household, personal care, and specialty products. It operates in three segments: Consumer Domestic, Consumer International, and Specialty Products Division. The company offers cat litters, carpet deodorizers, laundry detergents, and baking soda, as well as other baking soda based products under the ARM & HAMMER brand; condoms, lubricants, and vibrators under the TROJAN brand; stain removers, cleaning solutions, laundry detergents, and bleach alternatives under the OXICLEAN brand; toothbrushes under the SPINBRUSH brand; home pregnancy and ovulation test kits under the FIRST RESPONSE brand; depilatories under the NAIR brand; oral analgesics under the ORAJEL brand; laundry detergents under the XTRA brand; gummy dietary supplements under the L'IL CRITTERS and VITAFUSION brands; dry shampoos under the BATISTE brand; water flossers and showerheads under the WATERPIK brand; cold shortening and relief products under the ZICAM brand; oral care products under the THERABREATH brand; and acne treatment products under the HERO brand.