Edgewell Personal Care (NYSE:EPC) Rating Increased to Hold at Zacks Research

Key Points

• Edgewell Personal Care was upgraded from a "strong sell" to a "hold" rating by Zacks Research, indicating a more positive outlook from analysts.
• Despite the rating upgrade, several analysts, including Barclays and UBS, have lowered their price targets for the stock, reflecting a cautious stance in the market.
• Edgewell Personal Care reported earnings that missed expectations, with a net margin of 2.94% and a revenue decline of 3.2% compared to the previous year.

Edgewell Personal Care (NYSE:EPC - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities researchers at Zacks Research from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report issued on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

EPC has been the subject of several other reports. Weiss Ratings reissued a "sell (d+)" rating on shares of Edgewell Personal Care in a report on Saturday, September 27th. Barclays lowered their price objective on Edgewell Personal Care from $26.00 to $22.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, August 6th. UBS Group lowered their price objective on Edgewell Personal Care from $28.00 to $21.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, August 6th. Morgan Stanley raised Edgewell Personal Care from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $26.00 to $23.00 in a report on Wednesday, August 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Edgewell Personal Care from $28.00 to $25.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, September 25th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $28.29.

Edgewell Personal Care Trading Up 1.7%

Shares of EPC opened at $20.27 on Monday. The stock's 50-day moving average is $22.23 and its two-hundred day moving average is $25.63. The stock has a market cap of $941.51 million, a PE ratio of 15.01 and a beta of 0.83. Edgewell Personal Care has a 12 month low of $19.13 and a 12 month high of $38.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 1.77 and a quick ratio of 0.91.

Edgewell Personal Care (NYSE:EPC - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The company reported $0.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.01 by ($0.09). Edgewell Personal Care had a return on equity of 8.06% and a net margin of 2.94%.The business had revenue of $627.20 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $658.51 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.22 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was down 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Edgewell Personal Care has set its FY 2025 guidance at 2.650-2.650 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Edgewell Personal Care will post 3.16 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Edgewell Personal Care

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Edgewell Personal Care by 238.5% during the first quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 975 shares of the company's stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 687 shares during the period. First Horizon Advisors Inc. lifted its position in Edgewell Personal Care by 195.3% in the second quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 1,837 shares of the company's stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 1,215 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in Edgewell Personal Care by 167.0% in the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,968 shares of the company's stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 1,231 shares during the period. Hantz Financial Services Inc. acquired a new stake in Edgewell Personal Care in the second quarter worth approximately $69,000. Finally, EMC Capital Management acquired a new stake in Edgewell Personal Care in the second quarter worth approximately $94,000. 91.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.

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