HL Financials for Dec. 4 - Dec. 12

J.P. Morgan Sells Thousands of OATS Shares


Investment banker J.P. Morgan Partners sold more than 362,500 Wild Oats Markets Inc.(NasdaqNM: OATS) shares last week, according to a Dec. 6 Dow Jones Business News article. The firm still owns 2 million shares, according to a Form 4 it filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Dec. 6 as reported via Dow Jones. OATS closed at $9.58/share on Dec. 10.

Penton Media Plan Accepted by New York Stock Exchange



The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) has accepted a plan by Penton Media Inc. (NYSE: PME), parent company of New Hope Natural Media, to return to compliance with its listing standards, according to a Dec. 5 company announcement. PME will continue to be listed on NYSE and monitored on a quarterly basis. Failure to meet the plan's financial and operational goals could result in the company being subject to suspension and delisting.

The standards require that companies maintain: a $1/share price for 30 consecutive trading days; an average market capitalization of not less than $50 million during the same period; and stockholders' equity of no less than $50 million.

Natural Health Trends Announces Management Stock Repurchases



Terry LaCore, CEO of Natural Health Trends Corp.'s (OTC BB: NHTC) subsidiary Lexxus International, along with the LaCore and Woodburn partnership, which is comprised of LaCore and NHTC CEO Mark Woodburn, bought 1.29 million shares of NHTC common stock for $50,000. “Terry and I are very pleased with the company's performance,” noted Woodburn in a Dec. 4 announcement.

Hauser Executes Amendment to Credit Facility


Hauser Inc. (OTC BB: HAUS), a supplier of herbal extracts and nutritional supplements, announced it has executed an extension amendment to Dec. 31 to its existing credit facility Wells Fargo. HAUS defaulted on the loan earlier this year. The company notes that is has reduced its debt from $9 million to $8.7 million, according to The Boulder Daily Camera. Additionally, HAUS says it is looking for a new line of credit.

U.S. Bancorp Piper Jaffray Raises UNFI Target Price



In response to United Natural Foods Inc.'s (NasdaqNM: UNFI) 1Q03 financials released last week, U.S. Bancorp Piper Jaffray has increased its price target from $28 to $30/share. Bancorp notes that UNFI generated 34-percent gains in the supernatural channel, with 20-percent gains in mass markets and a 9-percent increase in independent-chain revenues. Since it began covering UNFI in July, Bancorp has rated the company as Strong Buy, says analyst Eric Larson.

UNFI closed at $24.76/share on Dec. 10.