Bank of Nova Scotia Buys 38,805 Shares of Church & Dwight Co., Inc. (NYSE:CHD)

Bank of Nova Scotia increased its position in Church & Dwight Co., Inc. (NYSE:CHD - Free Report) by 26.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 184,390 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 38,805 shares during the period. Bank of Nova Scotia owned about 0.08% of Church & Dwight worth $19,307,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in CHD. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Church & Dwight by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 30,691,064 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,213,661,000 after buying an additional 193,602 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in shares of Church & Dwight by 19.4% in the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 7,336,046 shares of the company's stock valued at $768,157,000 after purchasing an additional 1,190,154 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Church & Dwight by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 5,915,390 shares of the company's stock worth $617,794,000 after purchasing an additional 148,234 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Church & Dwight during the 4th quarter valued at $318,532,000. Finally, Invesco Ltd. boosted its position in Church & Dwight by 11.4% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,921,247 shares of the company's stock valued at $305,884,000 after purchasing an additional 298,848 shares during the last quarter. 86.60% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Church & Dwight Stock Performance

Shares of CHD traded down $1.11 on Tuesday, reaching $104.47. 823,496 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,682,563. The firm has a market cap of $25.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 44.08, a P/E/G ratio of 3.32 and a beta of 0.55. Church & Dwight Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $96.35 and a 12 month high of $116.46. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $107.25 and its 200-day moving average price is $106.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 1.70 and a quick ratio of 1.24.

Church & Dwight (NYSE:CHD - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $0.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting 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 period in the previous year, the business posted $0.65 earnings per share. Equities 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th were paid a $0.295 dividend. This is a positive change from Church & Dwight's previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. This represents a $1.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.13%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. Church & Dwight's dividend payout ratio is currently 49.79%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

CHD has been the topic of several analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Church & Dwight from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Truist Financial upped their price target 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 raised their price objective on Church & Dwight from $103.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Bank of America raised Church & Dwight from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their target price for the stock from $112.00 to $125.00 in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of Church & Dwight from $106.00 to $98.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Church & Dwight presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $112.75.

Insider Transactions at Church & Dwight

In other news, EVP Maynadier Patrick D. De sold 54,510 shares of Church & Dwight stock in a transaction that occurred 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 in the company, valued at approximately $1,217,442.06. The trade was a 83.85 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Rene Hemsey sold 11,060 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the executive vice president now 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 65,570 shares of company stock valued at $7,538,449. Corporate insiders own 2.00% of the company's stock.

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.