Van ECK Associates Corp Buys 1,378 Shares of Church & Dwight Co., Inc. (NYSE:CHD)

Van ECK Associates Corp grew its position in shares of Church & Dwight Co., Inc. (NYSE:CHD) by 4.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 31,606 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,378 shares during the quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp’s holdings in Church & Dwight were worth $2,989,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in CHD. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC increased its stake in Church & Dwight by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 75,007 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,873,000 after buying an additional 446 shares during the last quarter. Forsta AP Fonden increased its position in shares of Church & Dwight by 11.1% during the third quarter. Forsta AP Fonden now owns 53,100 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,866,000 after acquiring an additional 5,300 shares during the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank lifted its holdings in Church & Dwight by 317.8% during the third quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 164,844 shares of the company’s stock worth $15,105,000 after acquiring an additional 125,386 shares during the period. Strs Ohio purchased a new position in Church & Dwight in the third quarter worth $2,057,000. Finally, IFM Investors Pty Ltd grew its stake in Church & Dwight by 5.1% in the 3rd quarter. IFM Investors Pty Ltd now owns 48,897 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,480,000 after purchasing an additional 2,375 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.60% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Church & Dwight news, EVP Rene Hemsey sold 9,280 shares of Church & Dwight stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 directly owns 6,373 shares in the company, valued at $638,702.06. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, EVP Michael Read sold 4,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.00, for a total value of $472,500.00. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Rene Hemsey sold 9,280 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $100.22, for a total value of $930,041.60. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 6,373 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $638,702.06. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 373,052 shares of company stock worth $38,603,796. Insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CHD has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their target price on Church & Dwight from $109.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 22nd. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Church & Dwight from $94.00 to $103.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 5th. Bank of America raised their price target on shares of Church & Dwight from $100.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, April 15th. HSBC lifted their price target on shares of Church & Dwight from $110.00 to $114.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Evercore ISI increased their price objective on Church & Dwight from $107.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a report on Friday. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $105.56.

Church & Dwight Stock Performance

NYSE CHD opened at $105.41 on Tuesday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $103.78 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $97.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 1.33 and a quick ratio of 0.82. Church & Dwight Co., Inc. has a 1 year low of $82.25 and a 1 year high of $108.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $25.77 billion, a PE ratio of 33.46, a P/E/G ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 0.51.

Church & Dwight (NYSE:CHD) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 2nd. The company reported $0.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.86 by $0.10. Church & Dwight had a return on equity of 20.35% and a net margin of 13.13%. The company had revenue of $1.50 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.49 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.85 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Church & Dwight Co., Inc. will post 3.46 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Church & Dwight Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 3rd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.2838 per share. This represents a $1.14 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.08%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 14th. Church & Dwight’s payout ratio is 35.87%.

Church & Dwight 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.