KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS Invests $15.38 Million in Church & Dwight Co., Inc. (NYSE:CHD)

KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS purchased a new position in shares of Church & Dwight Co., Inc. (NYSE:CHD) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 146,900 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $15,382,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. YANKCOM Partnership acquired a new position in shares of Church & Dwight in the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its stake in shares of Church & Dwight by 224.4% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 266 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 184 shares during the period. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC acquired a new position in shares of Church & Dwight in the fourth quarter worth approximately $39,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust acquired a new position in shares of Church & Dwight in the fourth quarter worth approximately $43,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Church & Dwight in the fourth quarter worth approximately $51,000. 86.60% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently commented on CHD. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on Church & Dwight from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on Church & Dwight from $103.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and issued a $105.00 price target on shares of Church & Dwight in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Piper Sandler dropped their price target on Church & Dwight from $128.00 to $126.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Church & Dwight from $107.00 to $106.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $111.56.

Church & Dwight Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:CHD opened at $107.04 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.24, a current ratio of 1.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. Church & Dwight Co., Inc. has a twelve month low of $96.35 and a twelve month high of $116.46. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $107.42 and its 200-day moving average is $105.88. The firm has a market capitalization of $26.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 45.16, a PEG ratio of 3.32 and a beta of 0.57.

Church & Dwight (NYSE:CHD) last issued its earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $0.77 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting 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 quarter last year, the business earned $0.65 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Church & Dwight Co., Inc. will post 3.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Church & Dwight Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $1.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.10%. This is an increase from Church & Dwight’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. Church & Dwight’s dividend payout ratio is 49.79%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Church & Dwight news, EVP Rene Hemsey sold 11,060 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $109.98, for a total value of $1,216,378.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 6,437 shares in the company, valued at $707,941.26. This represents a 63.21 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Maynadier Patrick D. De sold 54,510 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.98, for a total value of $6,322,069.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 10,497 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,217,442.06. This trade represents a 83.85 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 65,570 shares of company stock worth $7,538,449. 2.00% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

About Church & Dwight

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.