The Hain Celestial Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:HAIN) Sees Large Increase in Short Interest

The Hain Celestial Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:HAIN) was the target of a large growth in short interest in January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 7,290,000 shares, a growth of 32.5% from the January 15th total of 5,500,000 shares. Currently, 8.2% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,590,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 4.6 days.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On The Hain Celestial Group

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Barclays PLC boosted its position in The Hain Celestial Group by 124.6% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 182,609 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,576,000 after buying an additional 101,290 shares during the last quarter. Quest Partners LLC boosted its position in The Hain Celestial Group by 387.1% in the third quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 212,655 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,835,000 after buying an additional 168,996 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in The Hain Celestial Group by 6.8% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,229,181 shares of the company’s stock valued at $19,241,000 after buying an additional 142,097 shares during the last quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund purchased a new stake in The Hain Celestial Group in the third quarter valued at approximately $2,515,000. Finally, Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC boosted its position in The Hain Celestial Group by 54.9% in the third quarter. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC now owns 1,224,590 shares of the company’s stock valued at $10,568,000 after buying an additional 434,070 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.01% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HAIN has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Maxim Group dropped their price target on The Hain Celestial Group from $15.00 to $10.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. DA Davidson reduced their target price on shares of The Hain Celestial Group from $9.00 to $8.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. Mizuho reduced their target price on shares of The Hain Celestial Group from $7.00 to $4.50 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of The Hain Celestial Group from $8.00 to $6.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Evercore ISI reduced their target price on shares of The Hain Celestial Group from $9.00 to $6.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, The Hain Celestial Group currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $6.56.

The Hain Celestial Group Stock Down 8.8 %

Shares of HAIN stock traded down $0.39 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $4.05. 1,716,010 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,574,078. The Hain Celestial Group has a 1 year low of $3.28 and a 1 year high of $10.07. The stock has a market cap of $365.27 million, a PE ratio of -4.31 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a current ratio of 2.01, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $5.69 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $7.18.

The Hain Celestial Group (NASDAQ:HAIN) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The company reported $0.08 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.12 by ($0.04). The Hain Celestial Group had a positive return on equity of 3.13% and a negative net margin of 4.94%. Research analysts predict that The Hain Celestial Group will post 0.43 EPS for the current year.

About The Hain Celestial Group

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.