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

Shares of Edgewell Personal Care Co (NYSE:EPC) have earned an average rating of “Hold” from the five analysts that are covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $41.80.

EPC has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Edgewell Personal Care from $41.00 to $40.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. UBS Group reduced their target price on Edgewell Personal Care from $42.00 to $40.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Edgewell Personal Care from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, September 20th.

Edgewell Personal Care Stock Performance

EPC opened at $36.34 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 1.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82. The firm has a market cap of $1.80 billion, a PE ratio of 15.21 and a beta of 0.87. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $38.20 and a 200-day simple moving average of $38.44. Edgewell Personal Care has a fifty-two week low of $33.71 and a fifty-two week high of $41.50.

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

Edgewell Personal Care Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 3rd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, September 4th will be paid a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.65%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, September 4th. Edgewell Personal Care’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 25.10%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Edgewell Personal Care

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of EPC. Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Edgewell Personal Care during the fourth quarter valued at $2,762,000. Sei Investments Co. grew its stake in shares of Edgewell Personal Care by 4.0% in the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 397,040 shares of the company’s stock valued at $15,342,000 after buying an additional 15,131 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its holdings in Edgewell Personal Care by 91.5% in the first quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 27,175 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,050,000 after buying an additional 12,988 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in Edgewell Personal Care by 0.7% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,620,865 shares of the company’s stock valued at $145,524,000 after acquiring an additional 24,513 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Confluence Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Edgewell Personal Care in the first quarter valued at approximately $3,609,000. 91.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.