Energizer (NYSE:ENR) Shares Gap Down – Here’s Why

Energizer Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:ENR)’s stock price gapped down prior to trading on Tuesday . The stock had previously closed at $33.93, but opened at $32.29. Energizer shares last traded at $31.79, with a volume of 170,652 shares.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on ENR shares. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Energizer from $33.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. UBS Group reduced their price objective on Energizer from $39.00 to $38.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Energizer from $39.00 to $38.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and set a $38.00 target price on shares of Energizer in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Barclays lowered Energizer from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $34.00 to $36.00 in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $38.38.

Energizer Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 23.51, a current ratio of 1.80 and a quick ratio of 1.00. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $35.60 and a 200 day simple moving average of $33.06. The company has a market capitalization of $2.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 63.20 and a beta of 1.06.

Energizer (NYSE:ENR) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $0.67 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.64 by $0.03. Energizer had a return on equity of 155.40% and a net margin of 1.32%. The company had revenue of $731.70 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $726.23 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.59 earnings per share. Energizer’s quarterly revenue was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts anticipate that Energizer Holdings, Inc. will post 3.58 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Energizer Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 13th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 20th will be paid a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.67%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 20th. Energizer’s dividend payout ratio is presently 230.77%.

Insider Transactions at Energizer

In related news, VP Sara B. Hampton sold 2,812 shares of Energizer stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $38.49, for a total transaction of $108,233.88. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 4,635 shares in the company, valued at approximately $178,401.15. This trade represents a 37.76 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Robin Vauth sold 4,070 shares of Energizer stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $38.16, for a total value of $155,311.20. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 9,827 shares in the company, valued at approximately $374,998.32. The trade was a 29.29 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 8,860 shares of company stock valued at $334,694 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.98% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Energizer

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ENR. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in shares of Energizer by 86.4% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 768 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 356 shares during the period. Neo Ivy Capital Management purchased a new stake in shares of Energizer in the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in shares of Energizer in the 3rd quarter valued at $39,000. Prospera Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Energizer in the 3rd quarter valued at $42,000. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Energizer by 94.0% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,554 shares of the company’s stock valued at $54,000 after buying an additional 753 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.74% of the company’s stock.

About Energizer

Energizer Holdings, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures, markets, and distributes household batteries, specialty batteries, and lighting products worldwide. It offers lithium, alkaline, carbon zinc, nickel metal hydride, zinc air, and silver oxide batteries under the Energizer, Eveready, and Rayovac brands; primary, rechargeable, specialty, and hearing aid batteries; and handheld, headlights, lanterns, and area lights, as well as flashlights under the Hard Case, Dolphin, and WeatherReady brands.