Insider Selling: The Honest Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:HNST) CEO Sells $225,774.28 in Stock

The Honest Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:HNST) CEO Carla Vernon sold 52,751 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $4.28, for a total transaction of $225,774.28. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 2,828,319 shares in the company, valued at $12,105,205.32. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link.

Honest Price Performance

NASDAQ HNST opened at $4.52 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $3.39 and its 200 day moving average price is $3.33. The Honest Company, Inc. has a 1 year low of $1.06 and a 1 year high of $4.89. The company has a market cap of $445.84 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -19.65 and a beta of 1.86.

Honest (NASDAQ:HNST) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 8th. The company reported ($0.04) earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.04). Honest had a negative return on equity of 17.44% and a negative net margin of 6.27%. The business had revenue of $93.05 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $87.63 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned ($0.14) earnings per share. Research analysts expect that The Honest Company, Inc. will post -0.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on HNST shares. Northland Capmk upgraded shares of Honest to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 6th. Loop Capital upgraded Honest from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $3.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, June 25th. Northland Securities initiated coverage on Honest in a research report on Tuesday, August 6th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $6.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $4.00 price target on shares of Honest in a report on Thursday, May 9th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Honest presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $4.79.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Honest

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of HNST. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Honest by 10.4% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,851,501 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,549,000 after purchasing an additional 268,600 shares during the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC grew its position in Honest by 117.3% during the 2nd quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 1,568,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,579,000 after purchasing an additional 846,300 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of Honest by 68.1% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 943,618 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,755,000 after buying an additional 382,418 shares during the last quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Honest in the 1st quarter valued at about $3,777,000. Finally, Acadian Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Honest by 706.1% in the second quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 716,332 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,088,000 after buying an additional 627,464 shares during the last quarter. 45.54% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.