Prestige Consumer Healthcare (NYSE:PBH) Shares Gap Up After Better-Than-Expected Earnings

Prestige Consumer Healthcare Inc. (NYSE:PBH)’s stock price gapped up prior to trading on Thursday following a stronger than expected earnings report. 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.

The company reported $1.22 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.18 by $0.04. Prestige Consumer Healthcare had a net margin of 18.54% and a return on equity of 12.23%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have commented on PBH shares. Sidoti cut shares of Prestige Consumer Healthcare from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $90.00 price target for the company. in a research note on Monday, December 9th. DA Davidson reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $95.00 target price on shares of Prestige Consumer Healthcare in a report on Monday, November 11th. Raymond James upgraded Prestige Consumer Healthcare to a “moderate buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Prestige Consumer Healthcare from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $85.25.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Ronald M. Lombardi sold 10,875 shares of Prestige Consumer Healthcare stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.60, for a total value of $898,275.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 320,952 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,510,635.20. This trade represents a 3.28 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Mary Beth Fritz sold 9,885 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $81.97, for a total transaction of $810,273.45. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 18,835 shares in the company, valued at $1,543,904.95. This represents a 34.42 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 38,810 shares of company stock worth $3,187,300. Company insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Prestige Consumer Healthcare

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Norden Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Prestige Consumer Healthcare by 5.1% during the 4th quarter. Norden Group LLC now owns 14,465 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,130,000 after buying an additional 700 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Prestige Consumer Healthcare by 29.5% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 4,237 shares of the company’s stock valued at $328,000 after purchasing an additional 964 shares during the period. Bridges Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Prestige Consumer Healthcare in the fourth quarter valued at about $213,000. QRG Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Prestige Consumer Healthcare by 3.3% in the fourth quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 5,496 shares of the company’s stock worth $429,000 after acquiring an additional 176 shares during the period. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Prestige Consumer Healthcare during the fourth quarter worth about $1,689,000. Institutional investors own 99.95% of the company’s stock.

Prestige Consumer Healthcare Price Performance

The firm has a 50 day moving average of $79.29 and a 200-day moving average of $75.25. The company has a current ratio of 3.56, a quick ratio of 2.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61. The company has a market cap of $4.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.89, a P/E/G ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 0.50.

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.