Church & Dwight Topped All Of CPG In Distribution Points Gained Year Over Year

On Church & Dwight’s May 1 earnings call, CEO Richard Dierker told analysts the company was “number one across all of CPG on total distribution points gained year over year.” On an average 13-week basis, the company is seeing roughly a 7% TDP lift. On more recent resets, that figure climbs to 10% to 11%, which Dierker characterized as roughly double what CPG peers are getting. The gains stretch across laundry, litter, and personal care, not a single hot brand.

Walmart is Church & Dwight’s largest customer. The supplier’s most recent 10-K disclosed that Walmart accounted for approximately 23% of consolidated net sales in each of 2025, 2024, and 2023. Dierker did not break the TDP figure out by retailer, so the report reads as evidence of the company’s broader CPG performance in the quarter rather than a Walmart-specific shelf disclosure.

Q1 organic sales rose 5%, against the company’s own outlook of 3%. Volume growth of 5.3% drove the result, partially offset by negative price/mix of 0.3%. Reported net sales were up 0.2%, ahead of earlier guidance for a 1% decline. Adjusted EPS came in at $0.95, up 4.4% year over year and ahead of the $0.92 outlook.

Laundry Grew On Lower Promotion While Competitors Raised Theirs

ARM & HAMMER laundry detergent consumption grew 4.1% in the quarter, against category growth of 2.7%. The brand hit record total laundry detergent share. Dierker noted the brand grew despite a lower level of promotion, while three of its major competitors raised promotional intensity in the same period. The company’s newest laundry innovation, ARM & HAMMER Baking Soda Fresh, launched with what Dierker said was a 4.9 consumer rating in a category where laundry items typically rate around 4.5. ARM & HAMMER laundry sheets grew consumption 30%, with Dierker citing the category-building potential of the EVO product.

Cat litter posted similar share dynamics in a different promotional context. ARM & HAMMER cat litter consumption grew 6.8%, with share rising 0.4 points to 24.6%. Category promotional levels remain elevated, though Dierker noted they declined sequentially from Q4.

TheraBreath, Hero, And Toppik Each Have A Different Story

TheraBreath gained 3.5 share points to reach 24.1% of total mouthwash, holding the number two position in the category. Dierker highlighted that the brand still occupies less than 20% of shelf, suggesting more distribution runway ahead. Early TheraBreath toothpaste line extension results were described as encouraging.

Hero remained the share leader in acne, twice the size of the next competitor. Distribution expansion and Q1 brand activations led by brand ambassador Jordan Chiles drove the quarter’s results, with activations centered on Mighty Patch Original and Mighty Shield innovation. Mighty Shield is hitting retailer hurdle rates.

Toppik told a more complicated story. Tracked-channel consumption was down 20% in the quarter, which Dierker attributed to lapping holiday gift set volume and club channel timing. Total consumption including untracked channels was up 12% to 13% according to internal company figures. Dierker reiterated double-digit growth expectations for the brand for the full year.

Walmart’s Q4 FY26 Disclosure Is The Relevant Backdrop

Walmart’s Q4 FY26 commentary, released February 19, attributed consumables growth specifically to personal care and pet products. Both are categories where Church & Dwight competes directly. Walmart’s release noted share gains across income tiers led by upper-income households. CEO John Furner said on that call that households earning below $50,000 are stretched, with some managing spending paycheck to paycheck.

On April 15, Walmart announced a comprehensive redesign of Great Value, which the retailer described as the most extensive private brand update in its history and the first full Great Value brand refresh in more than a decade. The redesign will span nearly 10,000 food and consumables items, with salty snacks named as the first category in a two-year phased rollout. Walmart’s senior vice president of private brands for Walmart U.S., Scott Morris, was explicit that the refresh is cosmetic: “what’s inside isn’t changing.” The categories where Church & Dwight reported its strongest Q1 growth, namely laundry, litter, mouthwash, and acne care, are not in the announced first wave of the rollout.

Inflation Posture: No Pricing, Productivity Instead

Church & Dwight disclosed $25 million to $30 million of incremental inflation pressure tied primarily to oil-based derivatives, including diesel, resins, and surfactants. CFO Lee McChesney noted the situation in the Middle East is “fluid and is creating some incremental volume and inflationary pressure on commodities and transportation.”

Dierker was direct that the company does not plan to take pricing action to offset the headwind. He framed pushing price as a strategic error in the current consumer environment and said the company will absorb the inflation through productivity programs and revenue growth management on promotions. Hedging covers approximately 60% of commodity exposure entering the year. Dierker described the inflation pressure as transitory rather than permanent.

The Company Reiterated Full-Year Guidance As The First Half Tracks Flat

The company reiterated its full-year outlook: organic sales growth of 3% to 4%, reported sales decline of 0.5% to 1.5% reflecting 2025 portfolio actions, and adjusted EPS growth of 5% to 8%. For Q2, the company expects reported sales to decline approximately 1%, organic sales growth of approximately 3%, gross margin expansion of approximately 50 basis points, and adjusted EPS of $0.88. Management continues to expect roughly flat EPS growth in the first half of 2026.

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