D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. Sells 483,824 Shares of The Hain Celestial Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:HAIN)

D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. lowered its holdings in The Hain Celestial Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:HAIN) by 56.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 368,415 shares of the company’s stock after selling 483,824 shares during the period. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. owned approximately 0.41% of The Hain Celestial Group worth $2,266,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its position in shares of The Hain Celestial Group by 49.0% in the fourth 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 period. Virtu Financial LLC bought a new stake in The Hain Celestial Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $73,000. Grace & White Inc. NY bought a new stake in The Hain Celestial Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $86,000. Polymer Capital Management US LLC bought a new stake in The Hain Celestial Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $90,000. Finally, Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA bought a new stake in The Hain Celestial Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $97,000. Institutional investors own 97.01% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HAIN has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of The Hain Celestial Group from $6.00 to $5.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 14th. Maxim Group decreased their target price on shares of The Hain Celestial Group from $10.00 to $5.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on shares of The Hain Celestial Group from $4.00 to $1.50 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 8th. CL King reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of The Hain Celestial Group in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein lowered shares of The Hain Celestial Group from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and set a $1.50 target price on the stock. in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, The Hain Celestial Group has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $4.39.

The Hain Celestial Group Price Performance

HAIN stock opened at $2.09 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.90, a current ratio of 1.90 and a quick ratio of 1.00. The Hain Celestial Group, Inc. has a one year low of $1.30 and a one year high of $9.43. The stock has a market cap of $188.63 million, a PE ratio of -1.08 and a beta of 1.05. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $3.10 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $4.97.

The Hain Celestial Group (NASDAQ:HAIN) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The company reported $0.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 business had revenue of $390.35 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $414.45 million. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.13 EPS. The Hain Celestial Group’s revenue for the quarter was down 10.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that The Hain Celestial Group, Inc. will post 0.4 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Dawn M. Zier purchased 200,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 9th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $1.60 per share, with a total value of $320,000.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 288,229 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $461,166.40. This represents a 226.68% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Celeste A. Clark purchased 83,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 13th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $1.79 per share, with a total value of $148,570.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 83,000 shares in the company, valued at $148,570. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders acquired 286,200 shares of company stock valued at $481,498. Corporate insiders own 0.83% 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.