Short Interest in The Hain Celestial Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:HAIN) Rises By 6.4%

The Hain Celestial Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:HAIN) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest during the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 5,290,000 shares, an increase of 6.4% from the December 15th total of 4,970,000 shares. Approximately 5.9% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 1,250,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 4.2 days.

The Hain Celestial Group Stock Performance

HAIN stock traded down $0.02 during trading on Friday, reaching $4.69. The company had a trading volume of 1,678,477 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,316,756. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a current ratio of 2.01. The Hain Celestial Group has a twelve month low of $4.47 and a twelve month high of $11.68. The company has a market cap of $422.99 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -4.99 and a beta of 0.76. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $6.92 and a 200-day simple moving average of $7.53.

The Hain Celestial Group (NASDAQ:HAIN) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The company reported ($0.04) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.02) by ($0.02). The Hain Celestial Group had a positive return on equity of 3.13% and a negative net margin of 4.94%. The firm had revenue of $394.60 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $394.24 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned ($0.04) earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 7.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that The Hain Celestial Group will post 0.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have commented on the company. DA Davidson reduced their target price on 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. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of The Hain Celestial Group from $8.00 to $6.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Finally, Piper Sandler reduced their price target on shares of The Hain Celestial Group from $8.00 to $7.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $9.00.

Institutional Trading of The Hain Celestial Group

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Inspire Investing LLC boosted its holdings in The Hain Celestial Group by 38.1% during the fourth quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 65,271 shares of the company’s stock worth $401,000 after buying an additional 18,019 shares in the last quarter. First Hawaiian Bank grew its position in shares of The Hain Celestial Group by 15.0% during the 4th quarter. First Hawaiian Bank now owns 65,504 shares of the company’s stock valued at $403,000 after acquiring an additional 8,546 shares during the period. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division increased its stake in shares of The Hain Celestial Group by 14.9% in the 4th quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division now owns 42,512 shares of the company’s stock valued at $261,000 after purchasing an additional 5,517 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in The Hain Celestial Group by 20.7% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 30,650 shares of the company’s stock worth $188,000 after purchasing an additional 5,250 shares during the period. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in The Hain Celestial Group by 68.7% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 320,457 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,766,000 after purchasing an additional 130,477 shares in the last quarter. 97.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.