Wall Street Zen Upgrades The Hain Celestial Group (NASDAQ:HAIN) to “Hold”

The Hain Celestial Group (NASDAQ:HAIN) was upgraded by equities researchers at Wall Street Zen from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a note issued to investors on Saturday.

Several other research firms have also recently commented on HAIN. Zacks Research cut The Hain Celestial Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 17th. Barclays cut their price target on The Hain Celestial Group from $2.00 to $1.50 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, September 17th. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (e+)” rating on shares of The Hain Celestial Group in a report on Tuesday, October 14th. Stephens downgraded shares of The Hain Celestial Group from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and dropped their target price for the company from $3.00 to $2.00 in a research report on Wednesday, September 17th. Finally, Mizuho decreased their price objective on shares of The Hain Celestial Group from $2.50 to $1.50 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, September 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $3.28.

The Hain Celestial Group Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:HAIN opened at $1.20 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.47. The company has a market capitalization of $108.35 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -0.20 and a beta of 0.79. The Hain Celestial Group has a 52 week low of $1.01 and a 52 week high of $8.85. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $1.51 and a 200 day moving average of $1.72.

The Hain Celestial Group (NASDAQ:HAIN) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, November 7th. The company reported ($0.08) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.04) by ($0.04). The Hain Celestial Group had a negative net margin of 34.03% and a positive return on equity of 1.10%. The business had revenue of $367.88 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $361.09 million. On average, sell-side analysts predict that The Hain Celestial Group will post 0.4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at The Hain Celestial Group

In related news, CEO Alison Lewis acquired 44,895 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 19th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $1.50 per share, for a total transaction of $67,342.50. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer owned 74,895 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $112,342.50. This trade represents a 149.65% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Neil Campbell acquired 62,640 shares of The Hain Celestial Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 19th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $1.52 per share, for a total transaction of $95,212.80. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 125,569 shares in the company, valued at $190,864.88. The trade was a 99.54% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders acquired 137,535 shares of company stock worth $207,255. Company insiders own 1.71% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of The Hain Celestial Group

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Allianz Asset Management GmbH raised its stake in shares of The Hain Celestial Group by 1.3% during the 1st quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 294,715 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,223,000 after buying an additional 3,715 shares in the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC boosted its stake in shares of The Hain Celestial Group by 174.5% during the 1st quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 6,858 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 4,360 shares during the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC grew its stake in The Hain Celestial Group by 50.8% in the 1st quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 16,708 shares of the company’s stock worth $69,000 after acquiring an additional 5,625 shares during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in The Hain Celestial Group by 14.2% in the 2nd quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 53,821 shares of the company’s stock worth $82,000 after buying an additional 6,673 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CWM LLC increased its stake in The Hain Celestial Group by 106.8% during the first quarter. CWM LLC now owns 15,493 shares of the company’s stock worth $64,000 after acquiring an additional 8,000 shares during the last quarter. 97.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.