Bain Capital Public Equity Management II LLC Raises Stake in Haleon PLC Sponsored ADR $HLN

Key Points

• Bain Capital Public Equity Management II LLC increased its stake in Haleon PLC by 8.8%, now owning approximately 3,093,270 shares worth about $31.83 million, making Haleon the fund's 12th largest position.
• Haleon has recently announced a boost in its semi-annual dividend to $0.0555 per share, reflecting a significant yield of 190.0%, up from its previous dividend of $0.05.
• Analysts have mixed ratings on Haleon, with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a target price of $12.33, despite a downgrade by Wall Street Zen from "buy" to "hold."

Bain Capital Public Equity Management II LLC grew its position in shares of Haleon PLC Sponsored ADR (NYSE:HLN - Free Report) by 8.8% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,093,270 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 249,260 shares during the period. Haleon comprises 2.5% of Bain Capital Public Equity Management II LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 12th largest position. Bain Capital Public Equity Management II LLC owned 0.07% of Haleon worth $31,830,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of HLN. Brighton Jones LLC bought a new position in shares of Haleon during the fourth quarter valued at about $187,000. First Trust Advisors LP purchased a new stake in shares of Haleon in the 4th quarter worth about $517,000. Northern Trust Corp lifted its position in shares of Haleon by 27.7% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 5,412,542 shares of the company's stock worth $51,636,000 after purchasing an additional 1,172,931 shares during the period. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Haleon in the 4th quarter worth about $1,313,000. Finally, Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV increased its stake in shares of Haleon by 56.7% in the 4th quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 266,881 shares of the company's stock worth $2,546,000 after acquiring an additional 96,574 shares in the last quarter. 6.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Haleon Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE HLN traded down $0.06 during trading on Friday, reaching $9.78. 14,727,398 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 7,557,923. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $9.78 and a 200-day simple moving average of $10.21. The company has a quick ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The stock has a market capitalization of $43.84 billion, a PE ratio of 25.07, a P/E/G ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 0.24. Haleon PLC Sponsored ADR has a 52-week low of $8.86 and a 52-week high of $11.42.

Haleon Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 18th. Investors of record on Friday, August 15th will be issued a $0.0555 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 15th. This is a positive change from Haleon's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.05. This represents a dividend yield of 190.0%. Haleon's payout ratio is 28.21%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Haleon to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 27th. BNP Paribas Exane upgraded shares of Haleon from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $13.40 price target for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 27th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Haleon from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, July 12th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Haleon has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $12.33.

About Haleon

Haleon plc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the research, development, manufacture, and sale of various consumer healthcare products in North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America, and the Asia Pacific. The company provides oral health products, such as toothpastes, mouth washes, and denture care products under the Sensodyne, Polident, Parodontax, Biotene brands; and vitamins, minerals, and supplements under Centrum, Emergen-C, Caltrate brands.