Edgewell Personal Care Co (NYSE:EPC) Receives Average Recommendation of “Hold” from Brokerages

Shares of Edgewell Personal Care Co (NYSE:EPC) have earned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the five ratings firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $41.80.

A number of research firms recently commented on EPC. Barclays reduced their target price on Edgewell Personal Care from $41.00 to $40.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. StockNews.com cut Edgewell Personal Care from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, August 16th. Finally, UBS Group decreased their price objective on Edgewell Personal Care from $42.00 to $40.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, August 7th.

Edgewell Personal Care Stock Performance

Shares of EPC opened at $38.12 on Friday. Edgewell Personal Care has a 12-month low of $33.71 and a 12-month high of $41.50. The company has a current ratio of 1.79, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82. The company has a market cap of $1.89 billion, a PE ratio of 15.95 and a beta of 0.88. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $39.33 and a 200-day moving average price of $38.61.

Edgewell Personal Care (NYSE:EPC) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The company reported $1.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.01 by $0.21. The business had revenue of $647.80 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $649.67 million. Edgewell Personal Care had a net margin of 5.26% and a return on equity of 9.92%. Edgewell Personal Care’s revenue for the quarter was down .3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.98 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Edgewell Personal Care will post 3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Edgewell Personal Care Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 3rd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, September 4th will be paid a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, September 4th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.57%. Edgewell Personal Care’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 25.10%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Edgewell Personal Care

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC purchased a new position in Edgewell Personal Care in the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,762,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Edgewell Personal Care by 4.8% in the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 432,041 shares of the company’s stock worth $15,826,000 after purchasing an additional 19,718 shares during the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. increased its stake in shares of Edgewell Personal Care by 4.0% in the first quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 397,040 shares of the company’s stock worth $15,342,000 after buying an additional 15,131 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its holdings in Edgewell Personal Care by 91.5% during the 1st quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 27,175 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,050,000 after buying an additional 12,988 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nicola Wealth Management LTD. boosted its position in Edgewell Personal Care by 36.9% during the 4th quarter. Nicola Wealth Management LTD. now owns 74,200 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,718,000 after buying an additional 20,000 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 91.91% of the company’s stock.

Edgewell Personal Care Company Profile

Edgewell Personal Care Company is a manufacturer and marketer of personal care products in the wet shave, sun and skin care, feminine care and infant care categories. As of September 30, 2016, the Company had a portfolio of over 25 brands. It manages its business in four segments: Wet Shave, Sun and Skin Care, Feminine Care and All Other.