Shares of Lifevantage Corporation (OTC: LFVN) ended the week with a late day rally on Friday.
Things didn’t look good for stockholders when it came out of the gate this morning. The stock stumbled in the first half-hour of trading as the price plunged over 30 cents from the previous day’s close to a weekly low of $2.25. Nearly 1/3 of the 1.2 million shares that traded occurred in the day’s opening hour as sellers picked up where they left off on Thursday’s closing bell.
By mid morning, the selling pressure lost steam.
During the lunch hour, 150,000 more shares exchanged hands and the stock showed signs of a rebound, trading up 15 cents from the morning’s low. With less than 30 minutes to go in the final trading session of the week, Lifevantage stock rallied a dime to close at a price of $2.59 and a negligible loss of 3 cents for the day.
Volume at the close remained subdued compared to the opening hours of trading.
For the week, Lifevantage stock lost about 40 cents, dropping from $3.00 to the closing price on Friday. Since hitting a 52-week high of $3.98 in April, the stock has declined around 35%. However, it’s still well above the annual low of $1.15 which was recorded almost 12 months earlier.
Lifevantage Corporation, formerly known as Lifeline Therapeutics, engages in research, development, manufacturing, and distribution of the nutraceutical dietary supplement Protandim, and an anti-aging skin product. The Sandy, Utah-based corporation is also focusing its research efforts on oxidative stress solutions as it relates to cardiovascular, central nervous system, and other health related disorders.
Lifevantage reported earnings in mid May that indicated net revenue gaining 263% and margins increasing to 17.7%, a substantial jump from the 7.94% reached a year prior. Operating income grew by 709% year over year. Executives also increased their 2012 guidance.
Currently no research analysts cover the company.
Insiders have purchased shares a total of five times over the course of last year with the most recent transaction completed a few weeks ago. The company has also recorded three sales transactions between November and January.
On June 1, Lifevantage announced the recent expansion of its management team in order to position itself for future growth. Douglas Robison, President and CEO of Lifevantage, stated it was critical to have the right talent in place for the company to meet its growth objectives. The new additions will be based in Utah. As of 2011, the company’s headcount numbered 32.
Lifevantage faces some larger cap name competition. The list of rivals named by Morningstar include among many: Charles River Labs (NYSE:CRL), Quest Diagnostics (NYSE: DGX), and Life Technologies (NASDAQ:LIFE).
