Montag & Caldwell LLC Has $1.09 Million Holdings in Church & Dwight Co., Inc. (NYSE:CHD)

Montag & Caldwell LLC reduced its holdings in Church & Dwight Co., Inc. (NYSE:CHD - Free Report) by 72.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 10,406 shares of the company's stock after selling 27,241 shares during the period. Montag & Caldwell LLC's holdings in Church & Dwight were worth $1,090,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in CHD. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board purchased a new stake in Church & Dwight in the fourth quarter worth $1,500,000. Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan purchased a new stake in shares of Church & Dwight during the fourth quarter valued at about $4,721,000. Optimize Financial Inc acquired a new stake in Church & Dwight in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $474,000. Townsquare Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Church & Dwight by 6.9% during the 4th quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC now owns 35,942 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,764,000 after purchasing an additional 2,322 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Qtron Investments LLC boosted its holdings in Church & Dwight by 58.3% in the fourth quarter. Qtron Investments LLC now owns 9,035 shares of the company's stock worth $946,000 after acquiring an additional 3,326 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.60% of the company's stock.

Church & Dwight Price Performance

CHD stock traded up $2.36 during trading on Friday, reaching $105.32. 1,703,949 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,516,035. Church & Dwight Co., Inc. has a 52-week low of $96.35 and a 52-week high of $116.46. The company has a market cap of $25.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 44.44, a PEG ratio of 3.32 and a beta of 0.55. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $107.23 and its 200 day moving average price is $106.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a current ratio of 1.70.

Church & Dwight (NYSE:CHD - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $0.77 earnings per share 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 last year, the firm earned $0.65 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that Church & Dwight Co., Inc. will post 3.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Church & Dwight Increases Dividend

The business 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 is an increase from Church & Dwight's previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. This represents a $1.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.12%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. Church & Dwight's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 49.79%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Rene Hemsey sold 11,060 shares of Church & Dwight 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 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Maynadier Patrick D. De sold 54,510 shares of the business's 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 sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 65,570 shares of company stock valued at $7,538,449 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 1.20% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CHD has been the topic of several recent research reports. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Church & Dwight from $109.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Church & Dwight from $106.00 to $98.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on shares of Church & Dwight from $103.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Church & Dwight from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada restated a "sector perform" rating and issued a $105.00 price objective on shares of Church & Dwight in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Church & Dwight currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $112.59.

Church & Dwight Company 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.