Bank of America Corp DE Cuts Stake in Edgewell Personal Care Co (NYSE:EPC)

Bank of America Corp DE lessened its stake in shares of Edgewell Personal Care Co (NYSE:EPC - Free Report) by 25.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 344,531 shares of the company's stock after selling 119,865 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE owned 0.71% of Edgewell Personal Care worth $11,576,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in EPC. Brandes Investment Partners LP lifted its position in shares of Edgewell Personal Care by 21.1% in the fourth quarter. Brandes Investment Partners LP now owns 2,041,665 shares of the company's stock worth $68,600,000 after buying an additional 355,224 shares in the last quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Edgewell Personal Care by 40.5% during the 4th quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 878,390 shares of the company's stock worth $29,514,000 after acquiring an additional 253,014 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of Edgewell Personal Care during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $7,473,000. Marshall Wace LLP purchased a new position in shares of Edgewell Personal Care in the fourth quarter valued at $5,040,000. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Edgewell Personal Care in the fourth quarter valued at $4,684,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.91% of the company's stock.

Edgewell Personal Care Trading Up 2.7%

EPC traded up $0.75 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $28.15. 281,024 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 478,940. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $29.39 and a 200 day moving average price of $31.88. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.32 billion, a PE ratio of 15.37 and a beta of 0.91. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 2.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96. Edgewell Personal Care Co has a 52-week low of $24.35 and a 52-week high of $41.50.

Edgewell Personal Care (NYSE:EPC - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The company reported $0.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.90 by ($0.03). The company had revenue of $580.70 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $591.01 million. Edgewell Personal Care had a net margin of 4.09% and a return on equity of 9.29%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 3.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.88 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Edgewell Personal Care Co will post 3.16 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Edgewell Personal Care Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 9th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 6th will be given a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.13%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 6th. Edgewell Personal Care's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 35.09%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

EPC has been the subject of several research reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Edgewell Personal Care from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 17th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Edgewell Personal Care from $35.00 to $32.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Barclays reduced their price objective on Edgewell Personal Care from $28.00 to $25.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their target price on Edgewell Personal Care from $43.00 to $35.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price target on Edgewell Personal Care from $31.00 to $32.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, April 17th. 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. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $33.00.

Edgewell Personal Care 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.