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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Seth Jayson had no position in any company mentioned here at the time of publication. You can view his stock holdings here. He is co-advisor of Motley Fool Hidden Gems, which provides new small-cap ideas every month, backed by a real-money portfolio. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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