California Public Employees Retirement System Sells 3,951 Shares of Church & Dwight Co., Inc. (NYSE:CHD)

California Public Employees Retirement System lessened its position in shares of Church & Dwight Co., Inc. (NYSE:CHD) by 0.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,510,513 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,951 shares during the quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System owned approximately 0.61% of Church & Dwight worth $142,834,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of CHD. CWM LLC boosted its position in shares of Church & Dwight by 17.9% during the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 8,458 shares of the company’s stock valued at $775,000 after acquiring an additional 1,284 shares in the last quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Church & Dwight by 5.4% in the 3rd quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 7,966 shares of the company’s stock valued at $730,000 after purchasing an additional 409 shares in the last quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Church & Dwight by 17.1% in the 3rd quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,821 shares of the company’s stock worth $442,000 after purchasing an additional 703 shares during the last quarter. Capital Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Church & Dwight during the 3rd quarter worth about $203,000. Finally, Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Church & Dwight by 33.1% during the 3rd quarter. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC now owns 5,610 shares of the company’s stock valued at $514,000 after purchasing an additional 1,394 shares during the last quarter. 86.60% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Church & Dwight Stock Performance

Shares of Church & Dwight stock opened at $106.68 on Wednesday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $102.34 and its 200 day simple moving average is $96.83. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. The company has a market capitalization of $26.02 billion, a PE ratio of 35.09, a PEG ratio of 3.52 and a beta of 0.53. Church & Dwight Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $82.25 and a 12 month high of $107.42.

Church & Dwight (NYSE:CHD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 2nd. The company reported $0.65 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.65. Church & Dwight had a return on equity of 20.28% and a net margin of 12.88%. The business had revenue of $1.53 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.51 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.62 EPS. Church & Dwight’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that Church & Dwight Co., Inc. will post 3.44 EPS for the current year.

Church & Dwight Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, February 15th were issued a dividend of $0.2838 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 14th. This is an increase from Church & Dwight’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.27. This represents a $1.14 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.06%. Church & Dwight’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 37.17%.

Insider Activity at Church & Dwight

In related news, EVP Rene Hemsey sold 9,280 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $100.22, for a total value of $930,041.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 6,373 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $638,702.06. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, EVP Barry A. Bruno sold 9,926 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $104.55, for a total transaction of $1,037,763.30. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 4,319 shares in the company, valued at approximately $451,551.45. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Rene Hemsey sold 9,280 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $100.22, for a total transaction of $930,041.60. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 6,373 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $638,702.06. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 373,052 shares of company stock valued at $38,603,796. 1.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Argus raised Church & Dwight from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $115.00 price target for the company in a report on Friday, February 23rd. Truist Financial upped their price objective on Church & Dwight from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 7th. UBS Group lifted their target price on Church & Dwight from $99.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, February 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Church & Dwight from $87.00 to $95.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 18th. Finally, Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on Church & Dwight from $110.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $104.07.

About Church & Dwight

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.