Short Interest in The Hain Celestial Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:HAIN) Drops By 13.6%

The Hain Celestial Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:HAIN) was the target of a large decline in short interest in the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 3,310,000 shares, a decline of 13.6% from the March 15th total of 3,830,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 1,170,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.8 days. Currently, 3.7% of the company’s shares are short sold.

The Hain Celestial Group Price Performance

NASDAQ:HAIN traded down $0.42 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $5.89. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 4,044,259 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,220,424. The business’s 50-day moving average is $8.63 and its two-hundred day moving average is $10.04. The company has a market capitalization of $529.10 million, a PE ratio of -3.29 and a beta of 0.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 2.24. The Hain Celestial Group has a 52-week low of $5.81 and a 52-week high of $18.25.

The Hain Celestial Group (NASDAQ:HAIN) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 7th. The company reported $0.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.11 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $454.10 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $461.31 million. The Hain Celestial Group had a positive return on equity of 2.48% and a negative net margin of 8.88%. The Hain Celestial Group’s revenue was up .0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.20 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that The Hain Celestial Group will post 0.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at The Hain Celestial Group

In related news, CEO Wendy P. Davidson acquired 5,000 shares of The Hain Celestial Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 13th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $9.46 per share, for a total transaction of $47,300.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer now owns 58,309 shares in the company, valued at $551,603.14. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.72% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of HAIN. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in The Hain Celestial Group by 2.0% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 11,015,166 shares of the company’s stock valued at $114,227,000 after purchasing an additional 219,733 shares during the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. grew its holdings in The Hain Celestial Group by 17.2% in the fourth quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 7,152,677 shares of the company’s stock valued at $115,730,000 after purchasing an additional 1,051,217 shares during the last quarter. PGGM Investments grew its holdings in The Hain Celestial Group by 12.6% in the third quarter. PGGM Investments now owns 4,131,942 shares of the company’s stock valued at $42,848,000 after purchasing an additional 462,919 shares during the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its holdings in The Hain Celestial Group by 11.9% in the third quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 3,752,498 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,913,000 after purchasing an additional 398,441 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp grew its holdings in The Hain Celestial Group by 1.2% in the first quarter. State Street Corp now owns 3,399,117 shares of the company’s stock valued at $58,295,000 after purchasing an additional 38,991 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.01% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of The Hain Celestial Group from $11.00 to $10.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 8th. Maxim Group lowered their price objective on The Hain Celestial Group from $25.00 to $18.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 8th. Barclays lowered their price objective on The Hain Celestial Group from $11.00 to $8.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday. Mizuho lowered their price target on The Hain Celestial Group from $11.00 to $10.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Finally, DA Davidson started coverage on The Hain Celestial Group in a research note on Friday, March 1st. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $10.00 price objective for the company. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, The Hain Celestial Group has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $13.00.

The Hain Celestial Group Company Profile

The Hain Celestial Group, Inc manufactures, markets, and sells organic and natural products in United States, United Kingdom, Europe, and internationally. It operates through two segments: North America and International. The company offers infant formula; infant, toddler, and kids' food; plant-based beverages and frozen desserts, such as soy, rice, oat, and spelt; and condiments.