D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. Acquires 667,723 Shares of European Wax Center, Inc. (NASDAQ:EWCZ)

D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of European Wax Center, Inc. (NASDAQ:EWCZ) by 102.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,321,817 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 667,723 shares during the quarter. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. owned approximately 2.32% of European Wax Center worth $8,817,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in EWCZ. Highland Peak Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of European Wax Center during the 4th quarter valued at $2,745,000. Barclays PLC grew its holdings in European Wax Center by 365.7% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 56,510 shares of the company’s stock valued at $385,000 after purchasing an additional 44,376 shares during the period. Kanen Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in European Wax Center in the fourth quarter worth about $637,000. CenterBook Partners LP raised its stake in shares of European Wax Center by 42.2% in the fourth quarter. CenterBook Partners LP now owns 1,717,249 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,454,000 after buying an additional 509,991 shares during the period. Finally, Kazazian Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of European Wax Center during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,782,000. 82.14% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group set a $15.00 price target on shares of European Wax Center in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of European Wax Center from $5.00 to $4.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. Robert W. Baird decreased their price target on European Wax Center from $7.00 to $5.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. Truist Financial dropped their price objective on European Wax Center from $6.00 to $5.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reissued a “market perform” rating and set a $6.00 target price on shares of European Wax Center in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $6.94.

European Wax Center Price Performance

European Wax Center stock opened at $4.81 on Thursday. European Wax Center, Inc. has a 52-week low of $2.72 and a 52-week high of $12.05. The company has a quick ratio of 2.42, a current ratio of 3.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.81. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $3.72 and its 200 day moving average is $5.55. The company has a market cap of $266.21 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.91, a PEG ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.17.

European Wax Center (NASDAQ:EWCZ) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 14th. The company reported $0.17 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.05 by $0.12. European Wax Center had a return on equity of 16.51% and a net margin of 4.96%. Sell-side analysts forecast that European Wax Center, Inc. will post 0.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About European Wax Center

European Wax Center, Inc operates as the franchisor and operator of out-of-home waxing services in the United States. It offers body and facial waxing services; and pre- and post-service products, including ingrown hair serums, exfoliating gels, brow shapers, and skin treatments. The company was founded in 2004 and is headquartered in Plano, Texas.