Louisiana State Employees Retirement System Buys New Position in USANA Health Sciences, Inc. (NYSE:USNA)

Louisiana State Employees Retirement System purchased a new stake in USANA Health Sciences, Inc. (NYSE:USNA) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 5,600 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $300,000.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Swiss National Bank grew its stake in shares of USANA Health Sciences by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 25,500 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,495,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers increased its stake in USANA Health Sciences by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 34,942 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,048,000 after buying an additional 496 shares during the last quarter. Strs Ohio lifted its position in shares of USANA Health Sciences by 4.8% during the 3rd quarter. Strs Ohio now owns 10,900 shares of the company’s stock worth $638,000 after buying an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC boosted its stake in shares of USANA Health Sciences by 7.6% in the 4th quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 16,534 shares of the company’s stock worth $886,000 after buying an additional 1,162 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of USANA Health Sciences by 4.6% in the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 26,364 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,545,000 after acquiring an additional 1,169 shares in the last quarter. 54.25% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. DA Davidson cut their price objective on USANA Health Sciences from $53.00 to $48.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 22nd. StockNews.com upgraded shares of USANA Health Sciences from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 12th.

Insider Transactions at USANA Health Sciences

In related news, COO Walter Noot sold 5,240 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.05, for a total transaction of $257,022.00. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other USANA Health Sciences news, insider Robert A. Sinnott sold 3,945 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $46.55, for a total value of $183,639.75. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, COO Walter Noot sold 5,240 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.05, for a total value of $257,022.00. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 24,807 shares of company stock worth $1,200,791 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

USANA Health Sciences Trading Up 9.7 %

Shares of NYSE USNA opened at $45.55 on Thursday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $46.71 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $48.44. USANA Health Sciences, Inc. has a 1-year low of $41.45 and a 1-year high of $69.60. The firm has a market cap of $876.38 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 0.91.

USANA Health Sciences (NYSE:USNA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 6th. The company reported $0.87 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.52 by $0.35. USANA Health Sciences had a return on equity of 13.49% and a net margin of 6.93%. The company had revenue of $221.08 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $206.70 million. Analysts forecast that USANA Health Sciences, Inc. will post 2.73 EPS for the current year.

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.