Candriam S.C.A. Has $4.55 Million Stake in Church & Dwight Co., Inc. (NYSE:CHD)

Candriam S.C.A. reduced its position in shares of Church & Dwight Co., Inc. (NYSE:CHD) by 25.2% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 43,481 shares of the company’s stock after selling 14,651 shares during the quarter. Candriam S.C.A.’s holdings in Church & Dwight were worth $4,553,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. YANKCOM Partnership acquired a new stake in Church & Dwight during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in Church & Dwight during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in Church & Dwight during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its holdings in Church & Dwight by 224.4% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 266 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 184 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Strategic Financial Concepts LLC acquired a new stake in Church & Dwight during the 4th quarter worth approximately $39,000. 86.60% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Church & Dwight Trading Up 1.4 %

Shares of CHD opened at $112.48 on Friday. Church & Dwight Co., Inc. has a 52-week low of $96.35 and a 52-week high of $114.60. The business’s fifty day moving average is $106.23 and its 200-day moving average is $105.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a current ratio of 1.70. The firm has a market cap of $27.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.46, a PEG ratio of 3.32 and a beta of 0.57.

Church & Dwight (NYSE:CHD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $0.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.77. Church & Dwight had a return on equity of 20.03% and a net margin of 9.58%. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.65 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Church & Dwight Co., Inc. will post 3.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Church & Dwight Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th were paid a $0.295 dividend. This is a positive change from Church & Dwight’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $1.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.05%. Church & Dwight’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 49.79%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Michael Read acquired 1,100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 16th. The shares were bought at an average price of $106.82 per share, with a total value of $117,502.00. Following the acquisition, the executive vice president now directly owns 2,505 shares in the company, valued at $267,584.10. The trade was a 78.29 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Ravichandra Krishnamu Saligram sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.11, for a total value of $1,061,100.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 32,500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,448,575. This trade represents a 23.53 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 10,002 shares of company stock worth $1,061,315. Insiders own 2.00% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently weighed in on CHD shares. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and set a $105.00 price target on shares of Church & Dwight in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Piper Sandler dropped their price target on Church & Dwight from $128.00 to $126.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Barclays raised their price objective on Church & Dwight from $90.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on Church & Dwight from $107.00 to $106.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on Church & Dwight from $103.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Church & Dwight has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $111.56.

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, and Corporate. The Consumer Domestic segment offers household products, such as laundry detergents, fabric softener sheets, cat litter, and household cleaning products, and personal care products including antiperspirants, oral care products, depilatories, reproductive health products, oral analgesics, nasal saline moisturizers, and dietary supplements.