Edgewell Personal Care (NYSE:EPC) Cut to “Sell” at StockNews.com

StockNews.com downgraded shares of Edgewell Personal Care (NYSE:EPC) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report published on Saturday.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Canaccord Genuity Group reduced their price objective on Edgewell Personal Care from $53.00 to $40.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on shares of Edgewell Personal Care from $48.00 to $43.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of Edgewell Personal Care from $35.00 to $32.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Edgewell Personal Care from $33.00 to $30.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Edgewell Personal Care from $37.00 to $35.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $36.57.

Edgewell Personal Care Stock Performance

Shares of EPC opened at $31.24 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $31.19 and a two-hundred day moving average of $33.71. The stock has a market cap of $1.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.07 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 2.06 and a quick ratio of 0.97. Edgewell Personal Care has a one year low of $26.65 and a one year high of $41.50.

Edgewell Personal Care (NYSE:EPC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 10th. The company reported $0.07 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.13 by ($0.06). Edgewell Personal Care had a return on equity of 9.29% and a net margin of 4.09%. On average, equities research analysts expect that Edgewell Personal Care will post 3.16 earnings per share for the current year.

Edgewell Personal Care Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 9th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 5th will be paid a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.92%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 5th. Edgewell Personal Care’s payout ratio is presently 32.79%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Edgewell Personal Care

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Brandes Investment Partners LP boosted its stake in shares of Edgewell Personal Care by 21.1% during the 4th quarter. Brandes Investment Partners LP now owns 2,041,665 shares of the company’s stock worth $68,600,000 after acquiring an additional 355,224 shares in the last quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in Edgewell Personal Care by 40.5% during the fourth quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 878,390 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,514,000 after purchasing an additional 253,014 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC raised its position in shares of Edgewell Personal Care by 117.3% in the fourth quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 443,507 shares of the company’s stock valued at $14,902,000 after purchasing an additional 239,404 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Edgewell Personal Care in the fourth quarter worth $7,473,000. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP bought a new stake in shares of Edgewell Personal Care during the 4th quarter worth $5,040,000. 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.