Edgewell Personal Care Co (NYSE:EPC) Shares Purchased by D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc.

D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. grew its stake in Edgewell Personal Care Co (NYSE:EPC - Free Report) by 38.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 66,391 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 18,542 shares during the period. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. owned about 0.14% of Edgewell Personal Care worth $2,231,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Barclays PLC lifted its stake in shares of Edgewell Personal Care by 563.6% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 148,553 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,400,000 after purchasing an additional 126,168 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Edgewell Personal Care by 2.9% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 251,422 shares of the company's stock worth $9,137,000 after acquiring an additional 7,018 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its position in shares of Edgewell Personal Care by 208.2% in the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 16,553 shares of the company's stock worth $556,000 after acquiring an additional 11,183 shares during the period. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC boosted its stake in shares of Edgewell Personal Care by 11.4% during the 4th quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 17,469 shares of the company's stock worth $587,000 after acquiring an additional 1,782 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Inspire Investing LLC grew its position in shares of Edgewell Personal Care by 17.0% during the 4th quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 13,227 shares of the company's stock valued at $444,000 after acquiring an additional 1,919 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.91% of the company's stock.

Edgewell Personal Care Price Performance

Shares of EPC traded up $0.27 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $27.38. 469,703 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 479,656. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $29.39 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $31.88. Edgewell Personal Care Co has a 12-month low of $24.35 and a 12-month high of $41.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 2.06. The company has a market cap of $1.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.96 and a beta of 0.91.

Edgewell Personal Care (NYSE:EPC - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results 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). 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%. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 3.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.88 EPS. Research analysts expect that Edgewell Personal Care Co will post 3.16 earnings per share for the current year.

Edgewell Personal Care Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 9th. Investors of record on Friday, June 6th will be paid a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 6th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.19%. Edgewell Personal Care's dividend payout ratio is presently 35.09%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Edgewell Personal Care from $35.00 to $32.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Canaccord Genuity Group reduced their target price on Edgewell Personal Care from $40.00 to $35.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. Barclays decreased their target price on Edgewell Personal Care from $28.00 to $25.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of Edgewell Personal Care from $35.00 to $32.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Edgewell Personal Care from $31.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Edgewell Personal Care has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price 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.