USANA Health Sciences (NYSE:USNA) Stock Price Up 3.8% – Still a Buy?

USANA Health Sciences, Inc. (NYSE:USNA)’s share price was up 3.8% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $27.17 and last traded at $27.25. Approximately 42,753 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 60% from the average daily volume of 107,029 shares. The stock had previously closed at $26.26.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. StockNews.com cut shares of USANA Health Sciences from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. DA Davidson decreased their price target on shares of USANA Health Sciences from $38.00 to $36.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Sidoti cut shares of USANA Health Sciences from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th.

USANA Health Sciences Stock Down 1.1 %

The stock has a market capitalization of $526.37 million, a PE ratio of 9.84, a PEG ratio of 0.93 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a 50-day moving average of $31.15 and a 200 day moving average of $35.09.

USANA Health Sciences (NYSE:USNA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 25th. The company reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.49 by $0.15. The company had revenue of $213.61 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $208.82 million. USANA Health Sciences had a net margin of 6.30% and a return on equity of 10.64%. As a group, equities analysts predict that USANA Health Sciences, Inc. will post 2.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at USANA Health Sciences

In other news, CEO Jim Brown sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $29.47, for a total value of $147,350.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 15,716 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $463,150.52. This represents a 24.14 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider David Mulham Mulham sold 3,234 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.98, for a total transaction of $106,657.32. Following the sale, the insider now owns 12,775 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $421,319.50. This represents a 20.20 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 15,920 shares of company stock worth $500,285 in the last three months. 0.33% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of USNA. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio lifted its holdings in shares of USANA Health Sciences by 635.5% in the 4th quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 5,075 shares of the company’s stock worth $182,000 after acquiring an additional 4,385 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its position in USANA Health Sciences by 83.6% in the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 17,300 shares of the company’s stock valued at $621,000 after purchasing an additional 7,877 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC acquired a new position in USANA Health Sciences during the fourth quarter worth $633,000. Lazard Asset Management LLC increased its stake in USANA Health Sciences by 24,765.5% during the 4th quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 7,211 shares of the company’s stock worth $258,000 after buying an additional 7,182 shares during the period. Finally, Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. lifted its holdings in USANA Health Sciences by 16.7% during the 4th quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 128,976 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,629,000 after buying an additional 18,490 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 54.25% of the company’s stock.

USANA Health Sciences Company Profile

USANA Health Sciences, Inc develops, manufactures, and sells science-based nutritional, personal care, and skincare products in the Asia Pacific, the Americas, and Europe. The company offers USANA nutritional products that comprise essentials/CellSentials, such as vitamin and mineral supplements that provide a foundation of total body nutrition for various age groups; optimizers consisting of targeted supplements that are designed to meet cardiovascular, skeletal/structural, and digestive health needs; and food that include meal replacement shakes, snack bars, and other related products.