Church & Dwight Misses Where it Counts

Church & Dwight (NYSE: CHD  ) reported earnings on Feb. 5. Here are the numbers you need to know.

The 10-second takeaway
For the quarter ended Dec. 31 (Q4), Church & Dwight met expectations on revenues and missed estimates on earnings per share.

Compared to the prior-year quarter, revenue expanded and GAAP earnings per share grew significantly.

Margins grew across the board.

Revenue details
Church & Dwight chalked up revenue of $809.7 million. The 14 analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ expected net sales of $805.1 million on the same basis. GAAP reported sales were 11% higher than the prior-year quarter's $731.1 million.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Dollar amounts in millions. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.

EPS details
EPS came in at $0.57. The 16 earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ forecast $0.58 per share. GAAP EPS of $0.57 for Q4 were 30% higher than the prior-year quarter's $0.44 per share.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.

Margin details
For the quarter, gross margin was 44.3%, 80 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 16.6%, 40 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 10.0%, 130 basis points better than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead
Next quarter's average estimate for revenue is $775.5 million. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.73.

Next year's average estimate for revenue is $3.24 billion. The average EPS estimate is $2.80.

Investor sentiment
The stock has a five-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 415 members out of 434 rating the stock outperform, and 19 members rating it underperform. Among 157 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 153 give Church & Dwight a green thumbs-up, and four give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on Church & Dwight is hold, with an average price target of $57.43.

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