The Hain Celestial Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:HAIN) Short Interest Down 13.6% in March

The Hain Celestial Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:HAIN - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant decline in short interest during the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 3,310,000 shares, a decline of 13.6% from the March 15th total of 3,830,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,170,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.8 days. Currently, 3.7% of the shares of the company are sold short.

The Hain Celestial Group Stock Performance

The Hain Celestial Group stock traded down $0.13 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $6.08. 1,024,603 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,380,470. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $8.72 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $10.07. The Hain Celestial Group has a fifty-two week low of $6.07 and a fifty-two week high of $18.33. The stock has a market cap of $546.17 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -3.44 and a beta of 0.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 2.24 and a quick ratio of 1.14.

The Hain Celestial Group (NASDAQ:HAIN - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 7th. The company reported $0.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.11 by $0.01. The Hain Celestial Group had a positive return on equity of 2.48% and a negative net margin of 8.88%. The business had revenue of $454.10 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $461.31 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.20 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up .0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that The Hain Celestial Group will post 0.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

HAIN has been the topic of several analyst reports. Mizuho lowered their target price on shares of The Hain Celestial Group from $11.00 to $10.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd. DA Davidson assumed coverage on shares of The Hain Celestial Group in a research report on Friday, March 1st. They set a "neutral" rating and a $10.00 price target on the stock. Maxim Group reduced their price target on shares of The Hain Celestial Group from $25.00 to $18.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of The Hain Celestial Group from $11.00 to $10.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 8th. Finally, Barclays reduced their price target on shares of The Hain Celestial Group from $11.00 to $8.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $13.00.

Insider Transactions at The Hain Celestial Group

In related news, CEO Wendy P. Davidson bought 5,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 13th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $9.46 per share, for a total transaction of $47,300.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer now directly owns 58,309 shares in the company, valued at $551,603.14. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.72% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On The Hain Celestial Group

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of HAIN. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of The Hain Celestial Group by 15.4% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 10,081,205 shares of the company's stock worth $170,172,000 after buying an additional 1,342,432 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in shares of The Hain Celestial Group by 703.1% during the second quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,378,687 shares of the company's stock worth $17,247,000 after buying an additional 1,207,024 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley lifted its holdings in shares of The Hain Celestial Group by 173.6% during the third quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 1,896,326 shares of the company's stock worth $19,665,000 after buying an additional 1,203,224 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in shares of The Hain Celestial Group by 73.9% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,670,327 shares of the company's stock worth $45,794,000 after purchasing an additional 1,134,335 shares during the period. Finally, Alliancebernstein L.P. increased its position in shares of The Hain Celestial Group by 17.2% in the fourth quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 7,152,677 shares of the company's stock worth $115,730,000 after purchasing an additional 1,051,217 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.01% of the company's stock.

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.