Haleon plc (NYSE:HLN) Short Interest Up 36.8% in December

Haleon plc (NYSE:HLN - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 16,990,000 shares, an increase of 36.8% from the November 30th total of 12,420,000 shares. Approximately 0.4% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 6,840,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.5 days.

Haleon Price Performance

NYSE HLN traded down $0.13 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $9.51. The company's stock had a trading volume of 6,218,063 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,428,227. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44. Haleon has a 1 year low of $7.89 and a 1 year high of $10.80. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $9.68 and its 200-day moving average price is $9.62. The company has a market capitalization of $43.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.97, a PEG ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.28.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Haleon

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Fortitude Family Office LLC purchased a new stake in Haleon in the 3rd quarter worth $28,000. Toronto Dominion Bank boosted its stake in Haleon by 3,470.0% during the third quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 3,570 shares of the company's stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 3,470 shares during the last quarter. Prospera Private Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Haleon during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $57,000. BOKF NA increased its stake in Haleon by 68.8% in the 2nd quarter. BOKF NA now owns 6,972 shares of the company's stock worth $58,000 after acquiring an additional 2,842 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rothschild Investment LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Haleon during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $60,000. Institutional investors own 6.67% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Haleon from $9.90 to $10.95 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, September 20th. UBS Group raised shares of Haleon to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $10.95.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.