Edgewell Personal Care (NYSE:EPC) Shares Gap Down Following Weak Earnings

Shares of Edgewell Personal Care Co (NYSE:EPC - Get Free Report) gapped down prior to trading on Monday after the company announced weaker than expected quarterly earnings. The stock had previously closed at $31.60, but opened at $28.90. Edgewell Personal Care shares last traded at $27.40, with a volume of 166,082 shares traded.

The company reported $0.07 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.13 by ($0.06). Edgewell Personal Care had a return on equity of 9.78% and a net margin of 4.38%.

Edgewell Personal Care Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 9th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 5th will be issued a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.03%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 5th. Edgewell Personal Care's dividend payout ratio is presently 30.61%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price target on shares of Edgewell Personal Care from $48.00 to $43.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. Barclays cut their target price on shares of Edgewell Personal Care from $33.00 to $30.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. Truist Financial lowered their target price on Edgewell Personal Care from $50.00 to $40.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Canaccord Genuity Group cut their price target on Edgewell Personal Care from $53.00 to $40.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on Edgewell Personal Care from $35.00 to $32.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Edgewell Personal Care has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $36.57.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Edgewell Personal Care

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Edgewell Personal Care by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,799,860 shares of the company's stock worth $194,875,000 after buying an additional 24,850 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. raised its holdings in Edgewell Personal Care by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 3,222,739 shares of the company's stock worth $108,284,000 after purchasing an additional 64,257 shares in the last quarter. Brandes Investment Partners LP lifted its position in 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 purchasing an additional 355,224 shares during the period. LSV Asset Management boosted its stake in Edgewell Personal Care by 6.8% during the 4th quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 1,166,152 shares of the company's stock valued at $39,183,000 after purchasing an additional 74,231 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Edgewell Personal Care by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,130,160 shares of the company's stock worth $41,078,000 after buying an additional 6,964 shares in the last quarter. 91.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Edgewell Personal Care Stock Up 1.9 %

The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $33.42 and a 200 day moving average price of $35.59. The company has a market cap of $1.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.11 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 1.66.

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.