Nu Skin Enterprises, Inc. (NYSE:NUS) Sees Large Drop in Short Interest

Nu Skin Enterprises, Inc. (NYSE:NUS) was the target of a large drop in short interest in February. As of February 15th, there was short interest totalling 2,130,000 shares, a drop of 16.5% from the January 31st total of 2,550,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 791,900 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.7 days. Approximately 4.4% of the company’s stock are short sold.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on NUS shares. StockNews.com raised Nu Skin Enterprises from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. DA Davidson lowered their target price on shares of Nu Skin Enterprises from $11.00 to $7.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, December 20th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio boosted its holdings in Nu Skin Enterprises by 28.5% during the fourth quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 7,976 shares of the company’s stock worth $55,000 after buying an additional 1,768 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position in shares of Nu Skin Enterprises by 6.5% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 34,307 shares of the company’s stock valued at $236,000 after acquiring an additional 2,091 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its stake in shares of Nu Skin Enterprises by 5.3% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 53,711 shares of the company’s stock worth $371,000 after acquiring an additional 2,702 shares in the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Nu Skin Enterprises by 29.5% during the 4th quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 12,146 shares of the company’s stock worth $83,000 after acquiring an additional 2,768 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ballentine Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Nu Skin Enterprises by 15.5% in the 4th quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 20,856 shares of the company’s stock worth $144,000 after acquiring an additional 2,800 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.84% of the company’s stock.

Nu Skin Enterprises Stock Performance

NUS traded up $0.51 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $8.17. 473,954 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 794,546. The firm has a market capitalization of $405.99 million, a P/E ratio of -2.76 and a beta of 1.17. Nu Skin Enterprises has a 1-year low of $5.95 and a 1-year high of $14.04. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $7.01 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $7.22. The company has a quick ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 1.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56.

Nu Skin Enterprises (NYSE:NUS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The company reported $0.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.24 by $0.14. Nu Skin Enterprises had a negative net margin of 8.46% and a positive return on equity of 5.86%. The company had revenue of $445.55 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $441.10 million. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Nu Skin Enterprises will post 1.05 earnings per share for the current year.

Nu Skin Enterprises Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 24th will be paid a $0.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 24th. This represents a $0.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.94%. Nu Skin Enterprises’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -8.14%.

About Nu Skin Enterprises

Nu Skin Enterprises, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the development and distribution of various beauty and wellness products worldwide. It offers skin care devices, cosmetics, and other personal care products, including ageLOC LumiSpa and ageLOC LumiSpa iO; and nutricentials skin care products.