Edgewell Personal Care (NYSE:EPC) Hits New 12-Month Low After Earnings Miss

Edgewell Personal Care Co (NYSE:EPC) hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Thursday after the company announced weaker than expected quarterly earnings. The company traded as low as $24.35 and last traded at $27.02, with a volume of 1888694 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $30.02.

The company reported $0.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.90 by ($0.03). The company had revenue of $580.70 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $591.01 million. Edgewell Personal Care had a net margin of 4.09% and a return on equity of 9.29%. The company’s revenue was down 3.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.88 earnings per share.

Edgewell Personal Care Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 9th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 6th will be given a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.21%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 6th. Edgewell Personal Care’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.79%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently commented on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Edgewell Personal Care from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. Canaccord Genuity Group dropped their price target on Edgewell Personal Care from $40.00 to $35.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. UBS Group lifted their target price on Edgewell Personal Care from $31.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Barclays reduced their target price on Edgewell Personal Care from $28.00 to $25.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $33.00.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Quadrant Capital Group LLC grew its stake in Edgewell Personal Care by 85.9% during the 4th quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 751 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 347 shares in the last quarter. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Edgewell Personal Care in the fourth quarter worth $36,000. Wolverine Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Edgewell Personal Care by 217.4% in the fourth quarter. Wolverine Asset Management LLC now owns 1,168 shares of the company’s stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 800 shares during the last quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Edgewell Personal Care by 805.9% during the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 1,531 shares of the company’s stock worth $51,000 after acquiring an additional 1,362 shares in the last quarter. Finally, KBC Group NV boosted its position in Edgewell Personal Care by 56.5% during the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 2,279 shares of the company’s stock valued at $77,000 after purchasing an additional 823 shares during the last quarter. 91.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Edgewell Personal Care Stock Up 0.7 %

The stock has a market cap of $1.31 billion, a PE ratio of 14.87 and a beta of 0.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 2.06 and a quick ratio of 0.97. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $30.10 and a 200 day simple moving average of $32.54.

About Edgewell Personal Care

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.