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

Nu Skin Enterprises, Inc. (NYSE:NUS) was the recipient of a significant decline in short interest in the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 1,160,000 shares, a decline of 28.0% from the December 15th total of 1,610,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 832,300 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.4 days. Approximately 2.4% of the company’s shares are sold short.

Institutional Trading of Nu Skin Enterprises

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Pacer Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Nu Skin Enterprises in the 2nd quarter valued at about $25,230,000. Federated Hermes Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Nu Skin Enterprises by 111.8% during the second quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 1,323,542 shares of the company’s stock worth $13,950,000 after acquiring an additional 698,722 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Nu Skin Enterprises by 1.1% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,130,487 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,333,000 after purchasing an additional 11,838 shares in the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC increased its position in Nu Skin Enterprises by 358.4% in the 3rd quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 924,993 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,817,000 after purchasing an additional 723,220 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Nu Skin Enterprises by 27.7% during the 3rd quarter. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC now owns 603,555 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,448,000 after purchasing an additional 130,980 shares in the last quarter. 82.84% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Nu Skin Enterprises Price Performance

Shares of NYSE NUS traded down $0.03 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $6.91. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 121,994 shares, compared to its average volume of 949,696. Nu Skin Enterprises has a 1-year low of $5.95 and a 1-year high of $19.30. The stock has a market capitalization of $343.25 million, a P/E ratio of -3.32 and a beta of 1.19. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $7.18 and a two-hundred day moving average of $8.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53, a quick ratio of 1.20 and a current ratio of 1.93.

Nu Skin Enterprises Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 11th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 29th were paid a dividend of $0.06 per share. This represents a $0.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.48%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 29th. Nu Skin Enterprises’s dividend payout ratio is presently -11.59%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have weighed in on NUS. DA Davidson lowered their target price on Nu Skin Enterprises from $11.00 to $7.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, December 20th. Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of Nu Skin Enterprises from $11.50 to $6.75 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Nu Skin Enterprises from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 11th.

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.