Cetera Investment Advisers Increases Holdings in Church & Dwight Co., Inc. $CHD

Cetera Investment Advisers increased its position in Church & Dwight Co., Inc. (NYSE:CHD) by 20.4% in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 110,654 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 18,761 shares during the quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers’ holdings in Church & Dwight were worth $10,326,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Walter Public Investments Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Church & Dwight during the 1st quarter valued at about $5,721,000. Tandem Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in Church & Dwight by 11.6% in the 4th quarter. Tandem Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 797,733 shares of the company’s stock worth $66,890,000 after purchasing an additional 82,833 shares during the last quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd lifted its holdings in Church & Dwight by 122.6% in the 4th quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd now owns 141,837 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,893,000 after purchasing an additional 78,107 shares during the last quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System bought a new stake in Church & Dwight during the first quarter worth approximately $1,129,000. Finally, Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd bought a new stake in Church & Dwight during the first quarter worth approximately $2,382,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.60% of the company’s stock.

Church & Dwight Trading Down 2.3%

Shares of CHD opened at $97.55 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $97.08 and its 200 day moving average price is $96.58. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.09, a P/E/G ratio of 3.59 and a beta of 0.47. Church & Dwight Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $81.33 and a 12-month high of $106.04.

Church & Dwight (NYSE:CHD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 1st. The company reported $0.95 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.93 by $0.02. Church & Dwight had a return on equity of 20.51% and a net margin of 11.81%.The company had revenue of $1.47 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.46 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.91 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up .1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that Church & Dwight Co., Inc. will post 3.74 earnings per share for the current year.

Church & Dwight Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Investors of record on Friday, August 14th will be paid a $0.3075 dividend. This represents a $1.23 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. Church & Dwight’s dividend payout ratio is presently 40.46%.

Insider Transactions at Church & Dwight

In other Church & Dwight news, Director Ravichandra Krishnamu Saligram sold 12,960 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.00, for a total value of $1,270,080.00. Following the sale, the director owned 13,653 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,337,994. The trade was a 48.70% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Penry W. Price sold 5,960 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $94.86, for a total transaction of $565,365.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 30,070 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,852,440.20. This represents a 16.54% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 47,680 shares of company stock valued at $4,672,190 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 2.00% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on CHD shares. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $114.00 price target on shares of Church & Dwight in a research report on Monday, June 1st. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Church & Dwight from $100.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “buy” rating and set a $109.00 target price on shares of Church & Dwight in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $110.00 price target (up from $105.00) on shares of Church & Dwight in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price objective on Church & Dwight from $79.00 to $86.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $103.82.

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.