**Solid Q3 Performance**: Church & Dwight reported a 3.8% increase in reported sales growth and a 4.3% increase in organic sales, both surpassing expectations of 2.5% and 3%, respectively. Adjusted EPS rose to $0.79, exceeding the $0.67 outlook, indicating strong operational performance driven by higher sales and gross margin expansion.
**Category Growth Concerns**: While Q3 showed healthy growth, category consumption growth has decelerated from 4.5% in the first part of the year to approximately 3% in September and was seen as an anomaly due to hurricane effects in October. The company remains cautious about Q4 growth and anticipates overall category growth of 2-3%.
**Challenges in Gummy Vitamins**: The gummy vitamins segment continued to drag on overall performance with a 10% decline. A $357 million write-down on asset value reflects challenges in stabilizing this business. The company aims to innovate in 2025, with some promising improvements in brand L'IL CRITTERS, but long-term growth expectations for the segment have been reduced.