Honest (NASDAQ:HNST) SVP Jonathan Mayle Sells 6,236 Shares

The Honest Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:HNST) SVP Jonathan Mayle sold 6,236 shares of Honest stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3.14, for a total value of $19,581.04. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 449,155 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,410,346.70. This trade represents a 1.37% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Jonathan Mayle also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Thursday, March 5th, Jonathan Mayle sold 12,725 shares of Honest stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $2.85, for a total value of $36,266.25.

Honest Trading Up 6.9%

HNST traded up $0.22 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $3.41. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,777,147 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,839,630. The firm has a market cap of $375.37 million, a P/E ratio of -20.06 and a beta of 2.15. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $3.11 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $2.78. The Honest Company, Inc. has a 52-week low of $2.07 and a 52-week high of $5.28.

Honest (NASDAQ:HNST) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $0.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.01. Honest had a negative net margin of 5.39% and a positive return on equity of 3.52%. The company had revenue of $78.10 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $76.25 million. On average, equities analysts expect that The Honest Company, Inc. will post 0.1 EPS for the current year.

Honest announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback plan on Friday, February 20th that authorizes the company to buyback $25.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to purchase up to 9.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are often a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on HNST. Telsey Advisory Group reissued a “market perform” rating and set a $4.00 price objective on shares of Honest in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Honest from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, May 9th. Morgan Stanley set a $3.40 target price on Honest in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Zacks Research upgraded Honest from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, March 26th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Honest in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $3.47.

Institutional Trading of Honest

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Portolan Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Honest by 11.4% during the 3rd quarter. Portolan Capital Management LLC now owns 6,928,004 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,495,000 after purchasing an additional 710,651 shares during the period. Mak Capital One LLC purchased a new stake in Honest during the 4th quarter worth $9,104,000. ArrowMark Colorado Holdings LLC boosted its position in Honest by 5.3% during the 3rd quarter. ArrowMark Colorado Holdings LLC now owns 2,999,546 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,038,000 after purchasing an additional 151,000 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Honest by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,323,572 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,996,000 after purchasing an additional 28,579 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in Honest by 8.2% in the 3rd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,259,540 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,315,000 after acquiring an additional 171,425 shares during the period. 45.54% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Honest Company Profile

The Honest Company, Inc (NASDAQ: HNST) is an American consumer goods firm specializing in eco-friendly and responsibly formulated products for babies, personal care, beauty and home cleaning. The company emphasizes transparency in ingredient sourcing and product safety, positioning itself in the premium segment of mass-market retail and direct-to-consumer channels.

Honest was founded in 2011 by actress Jessica Alba and environmental health advocate Christopher Gavigan with a mission to offer parents household and baby care items free from harsh chemicals and synthetic fragrances.