Principal Financial Group Inc. Acquires 4,282 Shares of Edgewell Personal Care Company (NYSE:EPC)

Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its position in Edgewell Personal Care Company (NYSE:EPC) by 1.7% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 261,912 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,282 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned 0.54% of Edgewell Personal Care worth $8,174,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Quadrant Capital Group LLC raised its position in Edgewell Personal Care by 85.9% in the fourth quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 751 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 347 shares during the last quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC grew its stake in Edgewell Personal Care by 3.0% in the first quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 17,986 shares of the company’s stock valued at $561,000 after acquiring an additional 517 shares during the period. Bank of Montreal Can grew its stake in Edgewell Personal Care by 6.2% in the fourth quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 10,890 shares of the company’s stock valued at $366,000 after acquiring an additional 636 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Edgewell Personal Care by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 27,633 shares of the company’s stock valued at $928,000 after buying an additional 702 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Central Pacific Bank Trust Division boosted its position in shares of Edgewell Personal Care by 4.5% during the first quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division now owns 17,450 shares of the company’s stock valued at $545,000 after buying an additional 750 shares during the last quarter. 91.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Edgewell Personal Care Trading Down 4.0%

EPC opened at $25.61 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $1.20 billion, a PE ratio of 14.98 and a beta of 0.78. The company has a quick ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 1.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95. The business has a 50 day moving average of $25.94 and a 200-day moving average of $29.31. Edgewell Personal Care Company has a 52 week low of $22.61 and a 52 week high of $41.50.

Edgewell Personal Care (NYSE:EPC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The company reported $0.87 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.90 by ($0.03). The company had revenue of $580.70 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $591.01 million. Edgewell Personal Care had a net margin of 3.81% and a return on equity of 9.20%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 3.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.88 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Edgewell Personal Care Company will post 3.16 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Edgewell Personal Care Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 9th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 6th were given a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 6th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.34%. Edgewell Personal Care’s payout ratio is 35.09%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently commented on EPC shares. UBS Group lifted their price target on Edgewell Personal Care from $31.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price objective on Edgewell Personal Care from $43.00 to $35.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. Canaccord Genuity Group decreased their target price on Edgewell Personal Care from $40.00 to $35.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective 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. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Edgewell Personal Care from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, May 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $33.14.

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.