Goldman Sachs Group Inc. Buys 277,017 Shares of Church & Dwight Co., Inc. (NYSE:CHD)

Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Church & Dwight Co., Inc. (NYSE:CHD) by 26.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,334,950 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 277,017 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc.’s holdings in Church & Dwight were worth $126,233,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Chilton Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Church & Dwight by 50.0% in the fourth quarter. Chilton Capital Management LLC now owns 330 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares during the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Church & Dwight by 14.7% in the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 883 shares of the company’s stock valued at $87,000 after purchasing an additional 113 shares during the last quarter. Gateway Advisory LLC grew its position in shares of Church & Dwight by 4.4% in the third quarter. Gateway Advisory LLC now owns 2,855 shares of the company’s stock valued at $262,000 after purchasing an additional 120 shares during the last quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems grew its position in shares of Church & Dwight by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems now owns 19,713 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,864,000 after purchasing an additional 126 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sunbelt Securities Inc. grew its position in shares of Church & Dwight by 2.1% in the third quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 6,580 shares of the company’s stock valued at $603,000 after purchasing an additional 137 shares during the last quarter. 86.60% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Church & Dwight Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:CHD traded up $1.22 during trading on Friday, reaching $107.70. The stock had a trading volume of 1,313,048 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,116,181. Church & Dwight Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $82.25 and a 52 week high of $108.68. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $105.85 and its 200 day moving average price is $101.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 1.33 and a quick ratio of 0.82. The stock has a market capitalization of $26.33 billion, a PE ratio of 34.19, a P/E/G ratio of 3.47 and a beta of 0.51.

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

Church & Dwight Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 3rd. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 15th were given a $0.2838 dividend. This represents a $1.14 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.05%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, May 14th. Church & Dwight’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 35.87%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Robert K. Shearer sold 13,200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.36, for a total value of $1,403,952.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 29,108 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,095,926.88. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Church & Dwight news, Director Ravichandra Krishnamu Saligram sold 20,000 shares of Church & Dwight stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $107.67, for a total transaction of $2,153,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 13,793 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,485,092.31. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Robert K. Shearer sold 13,200 shares of Church & Dwight stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.36, for a total transaction of $1,403,952.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 29,108 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,095,926.88. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 40,952 shares of company stock worth $4,374,955 in the last quarter. Insiders own 2.00% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Church & Dwight from $98.00 to $97.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price target on Church & Dwight from $109.00 to $112.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, April 22nd. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on Church & Dwight from $107.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research report on Friday, May 3rd. Argus lifted their target price on Church & Dwight from $115.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Barclays decreased their target price on Church & Dwight from $83.00 to $82.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, May 6th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Church & Dwight presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $106.19.

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.