Principal Financial Group Inc. Grows Stake in Edgewell Personal Care Co (NYSE:EPC)

Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Edgewell Personal Care Co (NYSE:EPC) by 2.9% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 251,422 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 7,018 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Edgewell Personal Care were worth $9,137,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. purchased a new position in shares of Edgewell Personal Care during the 3rd quarter valued at $559,000. US Bancorp DE grew its position in shares of Edgewell Personal Care by 28.8% during the 3rd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 25,323 shares of the company’s stock valued at $920,000 after purchasing an additional 5,667 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its position in shares of Edgewell Personal Care by 63.9% during the 3rd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 664,902 shares of the company’s stock valued at $24,163,000 after purchasing an additional 259,200 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in shares of Edgewell Personal Care by 14.0% during the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,697 shares of the company’s stock valued at $108,000 after purchasing an additional 332 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wedge Capital Management L L P NC grew its position in shares of Edgewell Personal Care by 17.6% during the 3rd quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC now owns 35,389 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,286,000 after purchasing an additional 5,289 shares in the last quarter. 91.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Edgewell Personal Care Stock Performance

NYSE EPC opened at $34.91 on Tuesday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $35.53 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $37.95. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 1.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80. Edgewell Personal Care Co has a 12-month low of $33.27 and a 12-month high of $41.50. The firm has a market cap of $1.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.81 and a beta of 0.86.

Edgewell Personal Care (NYSE:EPC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The company reported $0.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.67 by $0.05. Edgewell Personal Care had a net margin of 4.38% and a return on equity of 9.78%. The business had revenue of $517.60 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $535.23 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.72 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was down 3.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Edgewell Personal Care Co will post 3.21 EPS for the current year.

Edgewell Personal Care Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 8th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 3rd. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.72%. Edgewell Personal Care’s payout ratio is 30.61%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com lowered shares of Edgewell Personal Care from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, September 20th. Barclays cut their target price on shares of Edgewell Personal Care from $37.00 to $36.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Truist Financial cut their target price on shares of Edgewell Personal Care from $50.00 to $40.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, UBS Group cut their target price on shares of Edgewell Personal Care from $42.00 to $40.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $42.40.

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.