Edgewell Personal Care (NYSE:EPC) Reaches New 1-Year Low on Disappointing Earnings

Shares of Edgewell Personal Care Co (NYSE:EPC - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week low during 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 trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $30.02.

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

Edgewell Personal Care Announces Dividend

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 issued a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 6th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.09%. Edgewell Personal Care's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 35.09%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on EPC shares. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Edgewell Personal Care from $35.00 to $32.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. Canaccord Genuity Group cut their target price on shares of Edgewell Personal Care from $40.00 to $35.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price objective on shares of Edgewell Personal Care from $43.00 to $35.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective 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. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price objective on Edgewell Personal Care from $31.00 to $32.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $33.00.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Edgewell Personal Care

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of EPC. Quadrant Capital Group LLC grew its stake in Edgewell Personal Care by 85.9% during the fourth 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. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Edgewell Personal Care by 238.5% during the 1st quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 975 shares of the company's stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 687 shares during the last quarter. R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Edgewell Personal Care during the fourth quarter valued at $36,000. Wolverine Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Edgewell Personal Care by 217.4% during the fourth quarter. Wolverine Asset Management LLC now owns 1,168 shares of the company's stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 800 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sterling Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Edgewell Personal Care by 805.9% in the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 1,531 shares of the company's stock worth $51,000 after buying an additional 1,362 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 91.91% of the company's stock.

Edgewell Personal Care Stock Down 0.0%

The firm has a market cap of $1.35 billion, a PE ratio of 15.70 and a beta of 0.91. The company has a current ratio of 2.06, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $29.99 and its 200 day simple moving average is $32.42.

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.