Honest Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NASDAQ:HNST)

The Honest Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:HNST - Get Free Report) was the recipient of some unusual options trading on Monday. Investors purchased 3,982 put options on the company. This is an increase of 110% compared to the average volume of 1,897 put options.

Honest Price Performance

Honest stock traded down $0.03 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $4.40. 1,811,233 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,124,999. Honest has a 12 month low of $2.40 and a 12 month high of $8.97. The firm has a market capitalization of $479.20 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -110.00 and a beta of 2.44. The business has a 50 day moving average of $5.21 and a two-hundred day moving average of $5.61.

Honest (NASDAQ:HNST - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The company reported ($0.01) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.02) by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $99.84 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $96.46 million. Honest had a negative return on equity of 3.26% and a negative net margin of 1.13%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Honest will post -0.07 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently commented on HNST shares. Telsey Advisory Group reissued a "market perform" rating and set a $7.00 price objective on shares of Honest in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Loop Capital downgraded shares of Honest from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $7.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $7.70.

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Insider Activity

In other Honest news, SVP Jonathan Mayle sold 37,481 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $4.87, for a total transaction of $182,532.47. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 307,740 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,498,693.80. This trade represents a 10.86 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Stephen Winchell sold 20,000 shares of Honest stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $4.98, for a total transaction of $99,600.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 431,844 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,150,583.12. The trade was a 4.43 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 8.60% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Honest

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Ieq Capital LLC raised its position in Honest by 61.3% in the fourth quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 130,651 shares of the company's stock worth $905,000 after acquiring an additional 49,673 shares during the period. Walleye Capital LLC bought a new position in Honest in the 3rd quarter worth $260,000. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Honest during the fourth quarter valued at $819,000. Barclays PLC lifted its position in Honest by 298.9% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 110,386 shares of the company's stock valued at $394,000 after purchasing an additional 82,713 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Honest in the fourth quarter worth about $756,000. Institutional investors own 45.54% of the company's stock.

Honest Company Profile

The Honest Company, Inc manufactures and sells diapers and wipes, skin and personal care, and household and wellness products. The company also offers baby clothing and nursery bedding products. It sells its products through digital and retail sales channels, such as its website and third-party ecommerce sites, as well as brick and mortar retailers.