OxiClean maker Church & Dwight boosts profit forecast on resilient demand

(Reuters) – Church & Dwight (NYSE:) raised the lower end of its annual profit forecast and beat expectations for first-quarter results on Thursday, buoyed by resilient demand for its higher-priced fabric care and hygiene products in the U.S. and Europe.

Even though consumers in the U.S. are having to pay more for rent and basic food items, they have over the years stuck to buying name brands like OxiClean and Batiste dry shampoo to meet their household and personal care needs.

Church & Dwight’s strong results echo peers like Clorox (NYSE:), Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:) and Kimberly-Clark (NYSE:), as consumers absorb the price hikes undertaken to offset rising production costs during the pandemic.

But analysts have raised concerns that the price hikes could eventually push shoppers to trade down from popular brands to cheaper alternatives.

Average selling prices at Church & Dwight rose 1.5%, while volumes increased 3.7%.

The household products maker’s first-quarter revenue rose 5.1% to $1.50 billion, beating analysts’ estimates of $1.49 billion, according to LSEG data.

Church & Dwight earned adjusted profit of 96 cents per share, beating expectations of 87 cents. It forecast 83 cents per share for the second quarter, below estimates of 92 cents.

The company expects full-year adjusted profit to grow between 8% and 9%, compared with prior expectations of 7% to 9%.

It also forecast second-quarter sales to grow about 3.5%, compared with expectations for a 4.4% rise, as the company tries to drive demand by offering more promotions on newer launches.