D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. Cuts Stock Holdings in The Hain Celestial Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:HAIN)

D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. cut its stake in The Hain Celestial Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:HAIN - Free Report) by 56.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 368,415 shares of the company's stock after selling 483,824 shares during the period. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. owned about 0.41% of The Hain Celestial Group worth $2,266,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its holdings in shares of The Hain Celestial Group by 49.0% in the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 10,805 shares of the company's stock valued at $66,000 after purchasing an additional 3,554 shares during the last quarter. Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new position in The Hain Celestial Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $73,000. Grace & White Inc. NY purchased a new stake in The Hain Celestial Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $86,000. Polymer Capital Management US LLC acquired a new stake in shares of The Hain Celestial Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $90,000. Finally, Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA acquired a new stake in shares of The Hain Celestial Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $97,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.01% of the company's stock.

The Hain Celestial Group Price Performance

The Hain Celestial Group stock traded down $0.05 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $1.87. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,267,970 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,748,007. The firm has a market capitalization of $168.77 million, a PE ratio of -0.96 and a beta of 1.05. The Hain Celestial Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $1.30 and a fifty-two week high of $9.43. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $2.94 and its 200 day simple moving average is $4.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.90.

The Hain Celestial Group (NASDAQ:HAIN - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The company reported $0.07 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.12 by ($0.05). The Hain Celestial Group had a negative net margin of 10.51% and a positive return on equity of 2.88%. The company had revenue of $390.35 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $414.45 million. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.13 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 10.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that The Hain Celestial Group, Inc. will post 0.4 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently commented on HAIN. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on shares of The Hain Celestial Group from $4.00 to $1.50 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. Mizuho decreased 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 research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Barclays dropped their price target on The Hain Celestial Group from $4.00 to $2.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, May 12th. Evercore ISI reduced their price objective on The Hain Celestial Group from $6.00 to $5.00 and set an "in-line" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, Maxim Group decreased their price objective on The Hain Celestial Group from $10.00 to $5.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, The Hain Celestial Group currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $4.39.

Insider Transactions at The Hain Celestial Group

In other The Hain Celestial Group news, Director Dawn M. Zier purchased 200,000 shares of The Hain Celestial Group stock in a transaction on Friday, May 9th. The shares were bought at an average price of $1.60 per share, with a total value of $320,000.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 288,229 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $461,166.40. This trade represents a 226.68% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Celeste A. Clark bought 83,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 13th. The shares were bought at an average price of $1.79 per share, for a total transaction of $148,570.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 83,000 shares in the company, valued at $148,570. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have bought 308,640 shares of company stock valued at $518,055 in the last quarter. 0.83% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.