As the Q2 earnings season comes to a close, it’s time to take stock of this quarter’s best and worst performers in the household products industry, including Church & Dwight (NYSE: CHD) and its peers.

Household products stocks are generally stable investments, as many of the industry's products are essential for a comfortable and functional living space. Recently, there's been a growing emphasis on eco-friendly and sustainable offerings, reflecting the evolving consumer preferences for environmentally conscious options. These trends can be double-edged swords that benefit companies who innovate quickly to take advantage of them and hurt companies that don't invest enough to meet consumers where they want to be with regards to trends.

The 10 household products stocks we track reported a mixed Q2. As a group, revenues missed analysts’ consensus estimates by 0.6% while next quarter’s revenue guidance was 0.7% below.

In light of this news, share prices of the companies have held steady as they are up 3.3% on average since the latest earnings results.

Church & Dwight (NYSE: CHD)

Best known for its Arm & Hammer baking soda, Church & Dwight (NYSE: CHD) is a household and personal care products company with a vast portfolio that spans laundry detergent to toothbrushes to hair removal creams.

Church & Dwight reported revenues of $1.51 billion, flat year on year. This print exceeded analysts’ expectations by 1.6%. Overall, it was a satisfactory quarter for the company with a solid beat of analysts’ EBITDA estimates but EPS guidance for next quarter missing analysts’ expectations.

Rick Dierker, Chief Executive Officer, commented, “Our brands continue to perform well in this dynamic environment. We continue to drive both dollar and volume share gains across most of our brands. Our balanced portfolio of value and premium products and our relentless focus on innovation continues to position us well for the future. Importantly, we began to see category growth levels improve sequentially through the second quarter, which provides further confidence in our full year outlook.

The market was likely pricing in the results, and the stock is flat since reporting. It currently trades at $93.03.

Is now the time to buy Church & Dwight? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free.

Best Q2: Clorox (NYSE: CLX)

Founded in 1913 with bleach as the sole product offering, Clorox (NYSE: CLX) today is a consumer products giant whose product portfolio spans everything from bleach to skincare to salad dressing to kitty litter.

Clorox reported revenues of $1.99 billion, up 4.5% year on year, outperforming analysts’ expectations by 3.3%. The business had a very strong quarter with a solid beat of analysts’ EBITDA and organic revenue estimates.

Clorox achieved the fastest revenue growth among its peers. Although it had a fine quarter compared its peers, the market seems unhappy with the results as the stock is down 5% since reporting. It currently trades at $119.11.

Is now the time to buy Clorox? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free.

Slowest Q2: Spectrum Brands (NYSE: SPB)

A leader in multiple consumer product categories, Spectrum Brands (NYSE: SPB) is a diversified company with a portfolio of trusted brands spanning home appliances, garden care, personal care, and pet care.

Spectrum Brands reported revenues of $699.6 million, down 10.2% year on year, falling short of analysts’ expectations by 5.5%. It was a disappointing quarter as it posted a significant miss of analysts’ organic revenue estimates and a significant miss of analysts’ EBITDA estimates.

Spectrum Brands delivered the slowest revenue growth in the group. Interestingly, the stock is up 6.8% since the results and currently trades at $56.52.

Read our full analysis of Spectrum Brands’s results here.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG)

Founded by candle maker William Procter and soap maker James Gamble, Proctor & Gamble (NYSE: PG) is a consumer products behemoth whose product portfolio spans everything from facial tissues to laundry detergent to feminine care to men’s grooming.

Procter & Gamble reported revenues of $20.89 billion, up 1.7% year on year. This result was in line with analysts’ expectations. Zooming out, it was a satisfactory quarter as it also recorded an impressive beat of analysts’ EBITDA estimates but a slight miss of analysts’ gross margin estimates.

The stock is flat since reporting and currently trades at $157.38.

Read our full, actionable report on Procter & Gamble here, it’s free.

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE: CL)

Formed after the 1928 combination between toothpaste maker Colgate and soap maker Palmolive-Peet, Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE: CL) is a consumer products company that focuses on personal, household, and pet products.

Colgate-Palmolive reported revenues of $5.11 billion, up 1% year on year. This number surpassed analysts’ expectations by 1.5%. Taking a step back, it was a satisfactory quarter as it also produced a narrow beat of analysts’ EBITDA estimates but gross margin in line with analysts’ estimates.

The stock is flat since reporting and currently trades at $84.72.

Read our full, actionable report on Colgate-Palmolive here, it’s free.

Market Update

Thanks to the Fed’s series of rate hikes in 2022 and 2023, inflation has cooled significantly from its post-pandemic highs, drawing closer to the 2% goal. This disinflation has occurred without severely impacting economic growth, suggesting the success of a soft landing. The stock market thrived in 2024, spurred by recent rate cuts (0.5% in September and 0.25% in November), and a notable surge followed Donald Trump’s presidential election win in November, propelling indices to historic highs. Nonetheless, the outlook for 2025 remains clouded by potential trade policy changes and corporate tax discussions, which could impact business confidence and growth. The path forward holds both optimism and caution as new policies take shape.

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