Principal Financial Group Inc. Cuts Position in Church & Dwight Co., Inc. (NYSE:CHD)

Principal Financial Group Inc. lowered its position in Church & Dwight Co., Inc. (NYSE:CHD) by 1.5% in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 654,722 shares of the company’s stock after selling 9,722 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned approximately 0.27% of Church & Dwight worth $67,882,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Church & Dwight during the 4th quarter worth about $259,967,000. Capital International Investors boosted its holdings in Church & Dwight by 39.2% in the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 9,004,713 shares of the company’s stock valued at $851,414,000 after purchasing an additional 2,533,877 shares in the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors acquired a new stake in Church & Dwight during the first quarter worth approximately $69,384,000. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Church & Dwight by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 30,265,072 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,861,865,000 after buying an additional 354,946 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Church & Dwight by 26.2% in the 4th quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 1,334,950 shares of the company’s stock valued at $126,233,000 after buying an additional 277,017 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.60% of the company’s stock.

Church & Dwight Stock Performance

Shares of CHD stock traded up $1.11 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $101.88. 1,433,838 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,349,846. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 1.53 and a quick ratio of 0.98. The company’s 50 day moving average is $102.38 and its two-hundred day moving average is $103.65. The company has a market cap of $24.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.44 and a beta of 0.52. Church & Dwight Co., Inc. has a 1 year low of $82.25 and a 1 year high of $110.31.

Church & Dwight (NYSE:CHD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, August 2nd. The company reported $0.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.51 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.92 earnings per share. Church & Dwight’s revenue was up 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Church & Dwight Co., Inc. will post 3.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Church & Dwight Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 15th will be given a dividend of $0.2838 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 15th. This represents a $1.14 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.11%. Church & Dwight’s payout ratio is currently 35.87%.

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 that occurred on Monday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $99.37, for a total value of $5,895,423.36. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 4,319 shares in the company, valued at approximately $429,179.03. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, EVP Barry A. Bruno sold 59,328 shares of Church & Dwight 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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 4,319 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $429,179.03. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Maynadier Patrick D. De sold 54,654 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $107.00, for a total transaction of $5,847,978.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 10,325 shares in the company, valued at $1,104,775. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 220,722 shares of company stock valued at $23,139,816. Corporate insiders own 2.00% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of Church & Dwight from $114.00 to $110.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 5th. Truist Financial reduced their target price on Church & Dwight from $115.00 to $110.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, August 5th. Evercore ISI dropped their price target on Church & Dwight from $110.00 to $101.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 5th. Argus boosted their price objective on Church & Dwight from $115.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 11th. Finally, BNP Paribas initiated coverage on shares of Church & Dwight in a research report on Monday, June 24th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $114.00 target price on the stock. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Church & Dwight presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $106.58.

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.