Church & Dwight (NYSE:CHD) had its target price boosted by analysts at Wells Fargo & Co from $47.00 to $52.00 in a research note issued to investors on Thursday. The brokerage currently has a “market perform” rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Co’s price objective suggests a potential upside of 3.85% from the stock’s previous close.
Several other brokerages have also recently issued reports on CHD. Deutsche Bank started coverage on Church & Dwight in a research note on Wednesday, December 13th. They set a “buy” rating and a $54.00 price objective on the stock. Societe Generale upgraded Church & Dwight from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $54.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, November 29th. They noted that the move was a valuation call. KeyCorp restated a “hold” rating on shares of Church & Dwight in a research note on Monday, October 16th. Oppenheimer reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Church & Dwight in a report on Wednesday, November 8th. Finally, Zacks Investment Research lowered Church & Dwight from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 4th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. The company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $50.70.
Shares of Church & Dwight (NYSE CHD) traded up $0.13 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $50.07. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,480,000 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,950,000. Church & Dwight has a 12-month low of $43.21 and a 12-month high of $54.18. The firm has a market capitalization of $12,510.00, a PE ratio of 28.78, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.08, a current ratio of 1.05 and a quick ratio of 0.70.
Church & Dwight declared that its board has approved a stock buyback plan on Thursday, November 2nd that authorizes the company to buyback $500.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are usually a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.
In other Church & Dwight news, CEO Matthew Farrell acquired 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 6th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $43.83 per share, with a total value of $219,150.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer now directly owns 103,685 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,544,513.55. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Richard A. Dierker acquired 1,146 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 7th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $43.66 per share, with a total value of $50,034.36. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief financial officer now directly owns 6,411 shares in the company, valued at $279,904.26. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 2.00% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.
A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of CHD. Renaissance Technologies LLC grew its holdings in Church & Dwight by 158.9% in the 2nd quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 1,791,900 shares of the company’s stock worth $92,964,000 after buying an additional 1,099,670 shares in the last quarter. Ardevora Asset Management LLP bought a new position in Church & Dwight during the 3rd quarter valued at $32,434,000. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake in Church & Dwight by 48.6% during the 2nd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,487,434 shares of the company’s stock valued at $77,168,000 after purchasing an additional 486,634 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. bought a new position in Church & Dwight during the 3rd quarter valued at $22,100,000. Finally, Parametric Portfolio Associates LLC boosted its stake in Church & Dwight by 67.8% during the 2nd quarter. Parametric Portfolio Associates LLC now owns 1,067,698 shares of the company’s stock valued at $55,392,000 after purchasing an additional 431,389 shares in the last quarter. 79.87% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
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Church & Dwight Company Profile
Church & Dwight Co, Inc develops, manufactures and markets a range of household, personal care and specialty products. The Company’s segments include Consumer Domestic, Consumer International and Specialty Products Division (SPD). The Company also sells specialty products to industrial customers and distributors.
