Edgewell Personal Care (NYSE:EPC) Sets New 12-Month Low - Here's What Happened

Shares of Edgewell Personal Care Co (NYSE:EPC - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as low as $24.07 and last traded at $24.12, with a volume of 130772 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $24.84.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on EPC. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Edgewell Personal Care from $31.00 to $32.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Edgewell Personal Care from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 17th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price objective on Edgewell Personal Care from $43.00 to $35.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Canaccord Genuity Group lowered their target price on Edgewell Personal Care from $40.00 to $35.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Edgewell Personal Care from $35.00 to $32.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $33.00.

Edgewell Personal Care Stock Up 0.6%

The business has a 50-day moving average price of $28.34 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $30.89. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 2.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96. The firm has a market cap of $1.10 billion, a PE ratio of 12.73 and a beta of 0.84.

Edgewell Personal Care (NYSE:EPC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The company reported $0.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.90 by ($0.03). Edgewell Personal Care had a net margin of 4.09% and a return on equity of 9.29%. The company had revenue of $580.70 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $591.01 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.88 EPS. The business's revenue was down 3.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that Edgewell Personal Care Co will post 3.16 EPS for the current year.

Edgewell Personal Care Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced 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 is Friday, June 6th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.57%. Edgewell Personal Care's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 35.09%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Quadrant Capital Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Edgewell Personal Care by 85.9% in the 4th quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 751 shares of the company's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 347 shares during the last quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC increased its stake in Edgewell Personal Care by 3.0% during the 1st quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 17,986 shares of the company's stock worth $561,000 after buying an additional 517 shares during the period. Sanctuary Advisors LLC increased its stake in Edgewell Personal Care by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 20,502 shares of the company's stock worth $695,000 after buying an additional 529 shares during the period. Bank of Montreal Can increased its stake in Edgewell Personal Care by 6.2% during the 4th quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 10,890 shares of the company's stock worth $366,000 after buying an additional 636 shares during the period. Finally, TD Private Client Wealth LLC increased its stake in Edgewell Personal Care by 24.1% during the 1st quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 3,533 shares of the company's stock worth $110,000 after buying an additional 686 shares during the period. 91.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.