January 28, 2022 | Ewing, NJ

The Board of Directors of Church and Dwight Co., Inc. has declared a regular quarterly dividend of $0.2625 per common share, an increase of 4% over the previous quarterly dividend.

Year to date, this marks the third dividend change for the Washington Crossing Advisors Rising Dividend portfolio. All three changes were increases. The average dividend increase was 9% compared with December 31, 2021 indicated levels.

From the press release: “The Company’s Board of Directors declared a 4% increase in the quarterly dividend from $0.2525 to $0.2625 per share, equivalent to an annual dividend of $1.05 per share. This raises the annual dividend payout from $248 million to approximately $255 million. The quarterly dividend will be payable March 1st, 2022 to stockholders of record at the close of business on February 15th, 2022. This is the 26th consecutive year in which the Company has increased the dividend. The Company has paid a consecutive quarterly dividend for 121 years.

In Q4, the company spent $445.1 million to repurchase 4.57 million shares of common stock via open market transactions and as part of an ASR (Accelerated Share Repurchase). A total of $500 million was spent on 5.23 million shares in full year 2021. Currently, the Company has approximately 242 million shares outstanding.

Mr. Farrell commented, “These actions reflect the Company’s desire for stockholders to benefit from our strong cash generation and is an indication of our confidence in the continuation of the Company’s strong performance. The Company expects to continue to generate significant cash flow. Our robust cash flow enables us to return cash to our stockholders while maintaining significant financial flexibility to aggressively pursue acquisitions.””1

About the company: “Church & Dwight Co., Inc. (NYSE: CHD) founded in 1846, is the leading U.S. producer of sodium bicarbonate, popularly known as baking soda. The Company manufactures and markets a wide range of personal care, household, and specialty products under recognized brand names such as ARM & HAMMER®, TROJAN®, OXICLEAN®, SPINBRUSH®, FIRST RESPONSE®, NAIR®, ORAJEL®, XTRA®, L’IL CRITTERS® and VITAFUSION®, BATISTE®, WATERPIK®, FLAWLESS®, ZICAM® and THERABREATH®. These fourteen key brands represent approximately 80% of the Company’s products sales. For more information, visit the Company’s website.

Church & Dwight has a strong heritage of commitment to people and the planet. In the early 1900’s, we began using recycled paperboard for all packaging of household products. Today, virtually all our paperboard packaging is from certified, sustainable sources. In 1970, the ARM & HAMMER® brand introduced the first nationally distributed, phosphate-free detergent. That same year, Church & Dwight was honored to be the sole corporate sponsor of the first annual Earth Day. In 2020, our continued progress earned public recognition, including the 2020 Newsweek’s Most Sustainable Companies list, the EPA’s Green Power Partnership Top 100 list, the 2020 Forbes Magazine: Americas Best-in-State Employer Award and the FTSE4Good Index Series.”1

Source/Link to Announcement

IMPORTANT DISCLOSURES: The securities discussed herein do not represent all of the securities held by the WCA Rising Dividend Portfolio as of the date presented and are subject to change at any time, without notice. A complete list of holdings as of the date noted above will be provided upon request. The above is presented to illustrate the application of the strategy only and not intended as personalized recommendations of any particular security. The securities identified and described above do not represent all of the securities purchased, sold, or recommended for client accounts. You should not assume that an investment in any of the securities identified was or will be profitable. Changes in market conditions or a company’s financial condition may impact the company’s ability to continue to pay dividends. Companies may also choose to discontinue dividend payments. All investments involve risk, including loss of principal, and there is no guarantee that investment objectives will be met. It is important to review your investment objectives, risk tolerance and liquidity needs before choosing an investment style or manager. Equity investments are subject generally to market, market sector, market liquidity, issuer, and investment style risks, among other factors to varying degrees. Fixed Income investments are subject to market, market liquidity, issuer, investment style, interest rate, credit quality, and call risks, among other factors to varying degrees.