May 2 (Reuters) - Church & Dwight ( CHD ) 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 ( CHD ) strong results echo peers like Clorox

, Colgate-Palmolive ( CL ) and Kimberly-Clark ( KMB ), 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 ( CHD ) 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 ( CHD ) 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.

(Reporting by Ananya Mariam Rajesh in Bengaluru; Editing by

Devika Syamnath)