Church & Dwight (NYSE:CHD) Shares Gap Up - Here's What Happened

Church & Dwight Co., Inc. (NYSE:CHD - Get Free Report)'s stock price gapped up prior to trading on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $99.91, but opened at $105.75. Church & Dwight shares last traded at $105.75, with a volume of 507,571 shares traded.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the company. Barclays increased their target price on Church & Dwight from $82.00 to $86.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a report on Friday, October 11th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Church & Dwight from $116.00 to $108.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, August 5th. Morgan Stanley downgraded shares of Church & Dwight from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and set a $110.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Monday, September 9th. Evercore ISI cut their price objective on shares of Church & Dwight from $110.00 to $101.00 and set an "in-line" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, August 5th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on Church & Dwight from $107.00 to $105.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, August 5th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $107.50.

Church & Dwight Stock Performance

The business's fifty day moving average price is $102.84 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $104.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 1.53. The stock has a market capitalization of $25.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.60, a P/E/G ratio of 3.71 and a beta of 0.54.

Church & Dwight (NYSE:CHD - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, August 2nd. The company reported $0.93 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.84 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $1.51 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.51 billion. Church & Dwight had a return on equity of 19.86% and a net margin of 13.38%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.92 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Church & Dwight Co., Inc. will post 3.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Church & Dwight Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, November 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.2838 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. This represents a $1.14 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.08%. Church & Dwight's payout ratio is presently 34.77%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Barry A. Bruno sold 59,328 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 4,319 shares in the company, valued at approximately $429,179.03. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 2.00% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Church & Dwight

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new position in Church & Dwight in the third quarter worth approximately $27,000. Crewe Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Church & Dwight in the 1st quarter worth $28,000. Rothschild Investment LLC bought a new position in shares of Church & Dwight during the 2nd quarter worth $31,000. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Church & Dwight during the second quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, Strategic Financial Concepts LLC bought a new stake in shares of Church & Dwight in the second quarter valued at about $38,000. 86.60% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Church & Dwight Company 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.