Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA Lowers Holdings in Church & Dwight Co., Inc. (NYSE:CHD)

Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA cut its holdings in shares of Church & Dwight Co., Inc. (NYSE:CHD) by 16.8% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 6,666,177 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,350,168 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA’s holdings in Church & Dwight were worth $698,015,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in CHD. YANKCOM Partnership purchased a new stake in shares of Church & Dwight during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its stake in Church & Dwight by 224.4% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 266 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 184 shares in the last quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC purchased a new stake in Church & Dwight during the 4th quarter worth about $39,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust acquired a new stake in Church & Dwight in the 4th quarter valued at about $43,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Church & Dwight in the 4th quarter valued at about $51,000. 86.60% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently weighed in on CHD shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Church & Dwight from $107.00 to $106.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 21st. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Church & Dwight from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on Church & Dwight from $103.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Piper Sandler lowered their price objective on Church & Dwight from $128.00 to $126.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and set a $105.00 target price on shares of Church & Dwight in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $112.13.

Insider Transactions at Church & Dwight

In other news, EVP Maynadier Patrick D. De sold 54,510 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 owns 10,497 shares in the company, valued at $1,217,442.06. This trade represents a 83.85 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Rene Hemsey sold 11,060 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 6,437 shares in the company, valued at $707,941.26. This trade represents a 63.21 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 65,570 shares of company stock valued at $7,538,449 in the last 90 days. 2.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Church & Dwight Stock Performance

NYSE CHD opened at $108.29 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.70, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. The business’s 50 day moving average is $107.81 and its two-hundred day moving average is $106.05. The stock has a market capitalization of $26.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 45.69, a PEG ratio of 3.32 and a beta of 0.57. Church & Dwight Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $96.35 and a 12-month high of $116.46.

Church & Dwight (NYSE:CHD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $0.77 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.77. Church & Dwight had a net margin of 9.58% and a return on equity of 20.03%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.65 EPS. Research analysts expect that Church & Dwight Co., Inc. will post 3.7 EPS for the current year.

Church & Dwight Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th were given a $0.295 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $1.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.09%. This is a boost from Church & Dwight’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. Church & Dwight’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 49.79%.

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.