Alliancebernstein L.P. Has $32.68 Million Stock Holdings in Church & Dwight Co., Inc. (NYSE:CHD)

Alliancebernstein L.P. reduced its stake in Church & Dwight Co., Inc. (NYSE:CHD) by 15.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 312,067 shares of the company’s stock after selling 57,850 shares during the quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. owned about 0.13% of Church & Dwight worth $32,677,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Church & Dwight Trading Down 4.3 %

Shares of Church & Dwight stock opened at $105.98 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $26.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 44.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.32 and a beta of 0.55. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $107.89 and a 200 day simple moving average of $106.13. Church & Dwight Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $96.35 and a 12-month high of $116.46. The company has a current ratio of 1.70, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51.

Church & Dwight (NYSE:CHD) last posted its earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $0.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate 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 business posted $0.65 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Church & Dwight Co., Inc. will post 3.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Church & Dwight Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th were given a dividend of $0.295 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $1.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.11%. 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%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently commented on CHD. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Church & Dwight from $107.00 to $106.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Piper Sandler reduced their price objective on shares of Church & Dwight from $128.00 to $126.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on shares of Church & Dwight from $103.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Truist Financial increased their target price on shares of Church & Dwight from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Church & Dwight from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Church & Dwight has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $112.13.

Insider Transactions at Church & Dwight

In related news, EVP Maynadier Patrick D. De sold 54,510 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.98, for a total transaction of $6,322,069.80. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 10,497 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,217,442.06. This trade represents a 83.85 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Rene Hemsey sold 11,060 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $109.98, for a total transaction of $1,216,378.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 6,437 shares in the company, valued at approximately $707,941.26. The trade was a 63.21 % 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 worth $7,538,449 in the last 90 days. 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.