Renaissance Technologies LLC Decreases Position in Church & Dwight Co., Inc. (NYSE:CHD)

Renaissance Technologies LLC lowered its stake in shares of Church & Dwight Co., Inc. (NYSE:CHD) by 20.7% during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 402,976 shares of the company’s stock after selling 104,900 shares during the quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC owned 0.16% of Church & Dwight worth $41,781,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of CHD. Game Plan Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Church & Dwight during the 1st quarter worth $26,000. Crewe Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Church & Dwight in the 1st quarter valued at about $28,000. Roble Belko & Company Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Church & Dwight during the first quarter worth approximately $31,000. Rothschild Investment LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Church & Dwight during the second quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Creekmur Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Church & Dwight in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. 86.60% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Church & Dwight Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:CHD opened at $102.61 on Thursday. Church & Dwight Co., Inc. has a one year low of $82.25 and a one year high of $110.31. The stock has a market capitalization of $25.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.57, a PEG ratio of 3.55 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $102.06 and a 200-day simple moving average of $104.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 1.53.

Church & Dwight (NYSE:CHD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, August 2nd. The company reported $0.93 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 the consensus estimate of $1.51 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.92 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that Church & Dwight Co., Inc. will post 3.43 EPS for the current year.

Church & Dwight Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, August 15th were issued a dividend of $0.2838 per share. This represents a $1.14 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.11%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, August 15th. Church & Dwight’s dividend payout ratio is presently 35.87%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CHD has been the subject of several analyst reports. BNP Paribas started coverage on shares of Church & Dwight in a research report on Monday, June 24th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $114.00 price objective on the stock. Barclays increased their target price on Church & Dwight from $80.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 6th. Morgan Stanley downgraded Church & Dwight from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and set a $110.00 price target for the company. in a report on Monday, September 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Church & Dwight from $101.00 to $97.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, August 5th. Finally, Evercore ISI decreased their target price on Church & Dwight from $110.00 to $101.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, August 5th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $106.58.

Insider Activity at Church & Dwight

In other Church & Dwight news, EVP Barry A. Bruno sold 59,328 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 5th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at approximately $429,179.03. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 2.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.