Prestige Consumer Healthcare (NYSE:PBH) Shares Gap Up on Strong Earnings

Prestige Consumer Healthcare Inc. (NYSE:PBH - Get Free Report)'s stock price gapped up prior to trading on Thursday after the company announced better than expected quarterly earnings. The stock had previously closed at $76.10, but opened at $80.90. Prestige Consumer Healthcare shares last traded at $80.96, with a volume of 14,133 shares changing hands.

The company reported $1.22 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.18 by $0.04. Prestige Consumer Healthcare had a net margin of 19.13% and a return on equity of 12.36%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

PBH has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Sidoti lowered Prestige Consumer Healthcare from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $90.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Monday, December 9th. StockNews.com raised shares of Prestige Consumer Healthcare from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Raymond James upgraded shares of Prestige Consumer Healthcare to a "moderate buy" rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th. DA Davidson upped their price objective on Prestige Consumer Healthcare from $95.00 to $104.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group lifted their target price on Prestige Consumer Healthcare from $93.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Prestige Consumer Healthcare currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $92.50.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, SVP Mary Beth Fritz sold 9,885 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $81.97, for a total transaction of $810,273.45. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 18,835 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,543,904.95. The trade was a 34.42 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider William P'pool sold 8,987 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $81.85, for a total value of $735,585.95. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 20,058 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,641,747.30. This represents a 30.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 38,810 shares of company stock worth $3,187,300. 1.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Prestige Consumer Healthcare

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of PBH. Kestra Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Prestige Consumer Healthcare in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its stake in Prestige Consumer Healthcare by 562.3% during the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 510 shares of the company's stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 433 shares during the last quarter. nVerses Capital LLC increased its position in Prestige Consumer Healthcare by 200.0% in the third quarter. nVerses Capital LLC now owns 600 shares of the company's stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 400 shares during the last quarter. Huntington National Bank raised its position in shares of Prestige Consumer Healthcare by 39.9% during the 3rd quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 635 shares of the company's stock valued at $46,000 after buying an additional 181 shares in the last quarter. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Prestige Consumer Healthcare by 7,112.5% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 1,154 shares of the company's stock worth $83,000 after purchasing an additional 1,138 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.95% of the company's stock.

Prestige Consumer Healthcare Price Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $4.31 billion, a PE ratio of 20.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 0.50. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $79.23 and its 200 day simple moving average is $75.51. The company has a quick ratio of 2.10, a current ratio of 3.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56.

Prestige Consumer Healthcare Company Profile

Prestige Consumer Healthcare Inc, together with its subsidiaries, develops, manufactures, markets, distributes, and sells over-the-counter (OTC) health and personal care products in the United States and internationally. The company operates in two segments, North American OTC Healthcare and International OTC Healthcare.