Tower Research Capital LLC TRC Buys 14,503 Shares of Church & Dwight Co., Inc. (NYSE:CHD)

Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its position in Church & Dwight Co., Inc. (NYSE:CHD) by 178.9% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 22,609 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 14,503 shares during the quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC’s holdings in Church & Dwight were worth $2,367,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of CHD. YANKCOM Partnership purchased a new stake in Church & Dwight in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its holdings in shares of Church & Dwight by 224.4% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 266 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 184 shares in the last quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Church & Dwight in the 4th quarter worth approximately $39,000. Bernard Wealth Management Corp. bought a new position in shares of Church & Dwight during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Finally, Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new position in Church & Dwight during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $43,000. 86.60% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Church & Dwight Stock Performance

Shares of CHD opened at $103.91 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $107.10 and a two-hundred day moving average of $106.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a current ratio of 1.70. The stock has a market cap of $25.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 43.84, a P/E/G ratio of 3.32 and a beta of 0.55. Church & Dwight Co., Inc. has a one year low of $96.35 and a one year high of $116.46.

Church & Dwight (NYSE:CHD) last issued its earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $0.77 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.77. Church & Dwight had a return on equity of 20.03% and a net margin of 9.58%. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.65 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Church & Dwight Co., Inc. will post 3.7 EPS for the current year.

Church & Dwight Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th were issued a dividend of $0.295 per share. This represents a $1.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.14%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. This is a boost from Church & Dwight’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. Church & Dwight’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 49.79%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Church & Dwight

In related news, EVP Rene Hemsey sold 11,060 shares of Church & Dwight stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $109.98, for a total transaction of $1,216,378.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 6,437 shares in the company, valued at approximately $707,941.26. This trade represents a 63.21 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Maynadier Patrick D. De sold 54,510 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.98, for a total transaction of $6,322,069.80. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 10,497 shares in the company, valued at $1,217,442.06. The trade was a 83.85 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 65,570 shares of company stock valued at $7,538,449. 2.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have weighed in on CHD shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Church & Dwight from $106.00 to $98.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 11th. Bank of America raised Church & Dwight from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $112.00 to $125.00 in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Piper Sandler reduced their target price on shares of Church & Dwight from $128.00 to $126.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Church & Dwight from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Church & Dwight from $109.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $112.59.

Church & Dwight Profile

Church & Dwight Co, Inc engages in the development, manufacture, and marketing of household, personal care, and specialty products. It operates through the following segments: Consumer Domestic, Consumer International, Specialty Products Division (SPD), and Corporate. The Consumer Domestic segment offers household products, such as laundry detergents, fabric softener sheets, cat litter, household cleaning products, and personal care products including antiperspirants, oral care products, depilatories, reproductive health products, oral analgesics, nasal saline moisturizers, and dietary supplements.