The Hain Celestial Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:HAIN) Short Interest Update

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

The Hain Celestial Group Trading Down 8.8 %

NASDAQ:HAIN traded down $0.39 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $4.05. 1,716,010 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,574,078. The company has a fifty day moving average of $5.69 and a 200 day moving average of $7.18. The Hain Celestial Group has a 12 month low of $3.28 and a 12 month high of $10.07. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $365.27 million, a P/E ratio of -4.31 and a beta of 0.74.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on HAIN shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of The Hain Celestial Group from $8.00 to $6.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. DA Davidson cut their price objective on shares of The Hain Celestial Group from $9.00 to $8.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. Maxim Group cut their price objective on shares of The Hain Celestial Group from $15.00 to $10.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on shares of The Hain Celestial Group from $7.00 to $6.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Barclays cut their price objective on shares of The Hain Celestial Group from $6.00 to $5.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $6.56.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HAIN. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new position in The Hain Celestial Group in the 3rd quarter worth $260,000. CWM LLC raised its holdings in The Hain Celestial Group by 14.5% in the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 10,098 shares of the company’s stock worth $87,000 after purchasing an additional 1,276 shares in the last quarter. Creative Planning raised its holdings in The Hain Celestial Group by 3.6% in the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 36,298 shares of the company’s stock worth $313,000 after purchasing an additional 1,272 shares in the last quarter. Swedbank AB bought a new position in The Hain Celestial Group in the 3rd quarter worth $216,000. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its holdings in The Hain Celestial Group by 2.1% in the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 637,563 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,502,000 after purchasing an additional 13,376 shares in the last quarter. 97.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.