Zacks Research Upgrades USANA Health Sciences (NYSE:USNA) to Strong-Buy

USANA Health Sciences (NYSE:USNA) was upgraded by stock analysts at Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report released on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other brokerages have also issued reports on USNA. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of USANA Health Sciences in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Wall Street Zen upgraded USANA Health Sciences from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, USANA Health Sciences currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy”.

USANA Health Sciences Trading Up 0.7%

Shares of USNA stock traded up $0.13 on Monday, reaching $18.64. The company had a trading volume of 10,363 shares, compared to its average volume of 130,604. The stock has a market cap of $344.09 million, a PE ratio of 33.75, a PEG ratio of 0.76 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a 50-day moving average of $18.91 and a 200-day moving average of $20.23. USANA Health Sciences has a 12 month low of $16.60 and a 12 month high of $38.32.

USANA Health Sciences (NYSE:USNA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 17th. The company reported $0.60 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.41 by $0.19. The company had revenue of $226.20 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $225.96 million. USANA Health Sciences had a return on equity of 6.75% and a net margin of 1.16%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that USANA Health Sciences will post 2.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Joshua Foukas sold 4,461 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $21.34, for a total value of $95,197.74. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.63% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On USANA Health Sciences

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its position in USANA Health Sciences by 82.8% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 21,845 shares of the company’s stock worth $589,000 after acquiring an additional 9,894 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC bought a new position in shares of USANA Health Sciences during the 1st quarter worth approximately $687,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its stake in shares of USANA Health Sciences by 31.4% during the 2nd quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 13,377 shares of the company’s stock worth $408,000 after acquiring an additional 3,198 shares in the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP grew its stake in shares of USANA Health Sciences by 19.5% during the 2nd quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 3,957 shares of the company’s stock worth $121,000 after acquiring an additional 646 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership bought a new position in shares of USANA Health Sciences during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $422,000. 54.25% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About USANA Health Sciences

USANA Health Sciences, Inc is a Utah‐based company that develops, manufactures and distributes nutritional supplements and personal care products through a network of independent distributors. Founded in 1992 by Dr. Myron Wentz, the company’s portfolio includes vitamins, minerals, dietary supplements, weight‐management products and skin‐care formulations. USANA’s products are formulated in its own laboratories to meet pharmaceutical‐grade standards, and the company has invested heavily in research and development and quality control to support its offerings.

Operating primarily through a direct selling model, USANA serves markets in North America, Asia Pacific, Europe and Latin America.