Short Interest in The Hain Celestial Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:HAIN) Rises By 49.7%

The Hain Celestial Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:HAIN) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest in February. As of February 13th, there was short interest totaling 10,076,820 shares, a growth of 49.7% from the January 29th total of 6,729,460 shares. Approximately 11.3% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 3,728,640 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.7 days. Based on an average daily volume of 3,728,640 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.7 days. Approximately 11.3% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Carlyn R. Taylor sold 53,957 shares of The Hain Celestial Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1.17, for a total value of $63,129.69. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 264,203 shares in the company, valued at approximately $309,117.51. The trade was a 16.96% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.71% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of The Hain Celestial Group

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in The Hain Celestial Group by 151.1% in the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,066,048 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,424,000 after buying an additional 641,567 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC increased its position in shares of The Hain Celestial Group by 295.4% during the first quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 4,731,690 shares of the company’s stock valued at $19,637,000 after acquiring an additional 3,535,073 shares in the last quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd purchased a new position in The Hain Celestial Group in the 1st quarter worth approximately $162,000. Empowered Funds LLC bought a new position in The Hain Celestial Group in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $444,000. Finally, CWM LLC boosted its stake in The Hain Celestial Group by 125.4% during the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 34,914 shares of the company’s stock valued at $53,000 after purchasing an additional 19,421 shares during the last quarter. 97.01% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on HAIN shares. Stephens lowered their target price on shares of The Hain Celestial Group from $2.00 to $1.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (e+)” rating on shares of The Hain Celestial Group in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Zacks Research raised The Hain Celestial Group from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Wall Street Zen lowered The Hain Celestial Group from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 21st. Finally, DA Davidson reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $1.50 price target on shares of The Hain Celestial Group in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $2.53.

The Hain Celestial Group Stock Performance

NASDAQ:HAIN opened at $0.78 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $70.93 million, a PE ratio of -0.13 and a beta of 0.65. The Hain Celestial Group has a fifty-two week low of $0.74 and a fifty-two week high of $4.84. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $1.08 and a 200-day moving average price of $1.30.

The Hain Celestial Group (NASDAQ:HAIN) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 9th. The company reported ($0.03) EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of ($0.03). The firm had revenue of $384.12 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $383.23 million. The Hain Celestial Group had a negative net margin of 36.12% and a negative return on equity of 1.15%. Research analysts predict that The Hain Celestial Group will post 0.4 EPS for the current year.

The Hain Celestial Group Company Profile

The Hain Celestial Group, Inc (NASDAQ: HAIN) is a leading global producer and marketer of natural and organic branded products. The company operates through two principal segments—Grocery and Personal Care—offering a diversified portfolio that spans shelf-stable foods, snacks, beverages, condiments and natural personal care items. Its product lineup addresses growing consumer demand for clean-label, plant-based and ethically sourced offerings in everyday categories.

Within its Grocery segment, Hain Celestial markets well-known brands such as Celestial Seasonings teas, Earth’s Best organic baby foods, Rudi’s organic bakery items, Terra vegetable chips and Sensible Portions snacks.