StockNews.com Upgrades Edgewell Personal Care (NYSE:EPC) to “Buy”

Edgewell Personal Care (NYSE:EPC) was upgraded by analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday.

Several other research analysts have also issued reports on the stock. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Edgewell Personal Care from $37.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 10th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Edgewell Personal Care from $40.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 8th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group increased their price target on Edgewell Personal Care from $52.00 to $53.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $42.25.

Edgewell Personal Care Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE EPC opened at $39.77 on Wednesday. Edgewell Personal Care has a 1 year low of $33.71 and a 1 year high of $43.90. The firm has a market cap of $1.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.64 and a beta of 0.95. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $37.86 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $37.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a current ratio of 1.84.

Edgewell Personal Care (NYSE:EPC) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 8th. The company reported $0.88 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.74 by $0.14. Edgewell Personal Care had a return on equity of 9.29% and a net margin of 5.40%. The business had revenue of $599.40 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $606.74 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.56 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that Edgewell Personal Care will post 2.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of EPC. Brandes Investment Partners LP boosted its position in Edgewell Personal Care by 87.4% during the 3rd quarter. Brandes Investment Partners LP now owns 1,074,269 shares of the company’s stock worth $39,705,000 after acquiring an additional 501,032 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Edgewell Personal Care during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $11,647,000. American Century Companies Inc. increased its stake in Edgewell Personal Care by 9.7% in the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,960,134 shares of the company’s stock valued at $109,407,000 after buying an additional 262,499 shares during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its position in Edgewell Personal Care by 483.8% in the 1st quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 292,395 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,298,000 after buying an additional 242,310 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in Edgewell Personal Care by 3.0% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,575,663 shares of the company’s stock worth $130,976,000 after buying an additional 103,751 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.91% of the company’s stock.

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.