Honest (NASDAQ:HNST) Stock Rating Upgraded by Wall Street Zen

Honest (NASDAQ:HNST) was upgraded by analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued to investors on Saturday.

Other research analysts also recently issued reports about the company. B. Riley Financial upped their price target on Honest from $4.00 to $5.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Honest in a report on Tuesday, May 26th. Alliance Global Partners restated a “buy” rating on shares of Honest in a research report on Thursday. Morgan Stanley set a $3.40 target price on shares of Honest in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group boosted their price target on shares of Honest from $4.00 to $5.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $4.38.

Honest Stock Performance

Shares of HNST stock opened at $5.46 on Friday. Honest has a 52-week low of $2.07 and a 52-week high of $5.84. The firm has a market capitalization of $601.04 million, a PE ratio of -49.64 and a beta of 2.12. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $3.78 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $3.20.

Honest (NASDAQ:HNST) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported $0.04 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.01 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $80.19 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $77.83 million. Honest had a positive return on equity of 4.31% and a negative net margin of 3.56%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Honest will post 0.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Honest

In related news, General Counsel Brendan Sheehey sold 9,784 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3.14, for a total value of $30,721.76. Following the sale, the general counsel owned 715,888 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,247,888.32. The trade was a 1.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Curtiss James Bruce III sold 12,669 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3.14, for a total transaction of $39,780.66. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 526,157 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,652,132.98. This trade represents a 2.35% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 175,058 shares of company stock valued at $550,591. 9.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Honest

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HNST. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in Honest in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $25,662,000. Mak Capital One LLC acquired a new stake in Honest during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $9,104,000. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Honest by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,323,572 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,996,000 after acquiring an additional 28,579 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in shares of Honest by 8.2% in the 3rd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,259,540 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,315,000 after acquiring an additional 171,425 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Balyasny Asset Management L.P. increased its stake in shares of Honest by 796.2% in the fourth quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 2,006,646 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,177,000 after acquiring an additional 1,782,742 shares during the period. 45.54% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Honest

Here are the key news stories impacting Honest this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q2 results beat expectations: Honest reported adjusted earnings of $0.04 per share, ahead of estimates ranging from $0.01 to $0.02 and up from $0.03 a year earlier. Revenue reached $80.19 million versus the $77.83 million consensus estimate. Honest Q2 Earnings and Revenues Beat Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Raised 2026 outlook: Management increased its fiscal-year 2026 forecast to $319 million-$325 million in revenue and $23 million-$25 million in adjusted EBITDA, signaling confidence in profitability and operating execution. Honest Outlines Raised FY2026 Outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst earnings estimates increased: Northland Securities raised its Q3 and Q4 2026 EPS forecasts to $0.03 from $0.02, while maintaining a $0.10 full-year consensus estimate. Honest analyst estimates
• Neutral Sentiment: Strategic changes are showing progress: An analysis argues that Honest’s strategic exits are beginning to improve the business, but investors may need further evidence that the gains can be sustained. The Honest Company: Strategic Exits Are Starting To Work
• Negative Sentiment: Execution concerns remain: Another assessment says Honest is still awaiting more consistent improvements, highlighting the risk that recent operating gains may not yet represent a durable turnaround. The Honest Company – Awaiting More Consistent Improvements
• Neutral Sentiment: B. Riley raised its price target to $5 from $4 and retained a “Buy” rating, although the new target is below the recent trading level, limiting its immediate upside implication.

About Honest

The Honest Company, Inc (NASDAQ: HNST) is an American consumer goods firm specializing in eco-friendly and responsibly formulated products for babies, personal care, beauty and home cleaning. The company emphasizes transparency in ingredient sourcing and product safety, positioning itself in the premium segment of mass-market retail and direct-to-consumer channels.

Honest was founded in 2011 by actress Jessica Alba and environmental health advocate Christopher Gavigan with a mission to offer parents household and baby care items free from harsh chemicals and synthetic fragrances.