Herbalife (NYSE:HLF) Downgraded to “Hold” at StockNews.com

StockNews.com downgraded shares of Herbalife (NYSE:HLF) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report report published on Wednesday morning.

A number of other equities analysts also recently issued reports on HLF. DA Davidson reiterated a neutral rating and set a $9.50 price target on shares of Herbalife in a research report on Thursday, May 2nd. Mizuho lifted their price target on shares of Herbalife from $10.00 to $11.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research note on Friday, June 7th. Finally, Bank of America reduced their price objective on shares of Herbalife from $10.00 to $8.00 and set an underperform rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and five have assigned a hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $10.70.

Herbalife Trading Up 2.4 %

Shares of NYSE:HLF opened at $11.46 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $1.15 billion, a PE ratio of 8.36 and a beta of 1.24. Herbalife has a 12-month low of $6.68 and a 12-month high of $19.48. The business has a 50 day moving average of $10.18 and a two-hundred day moving average of $10.97.

Herbalife (NYSE:HLF) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 1st. The company reported $0.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.37 by $0.12. Herbalife had a net margin of 2.70% and a negative return on equity of 19.97%. The firm had revenue of $1.30 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.26 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.54 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 3.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that Herbalife will post 1.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Herbalife

In other Herbalife news, Director Juan Miguel Mendoza acquired 7,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 10th. The stock was bought at an average price of $10.65 per share, for a total transaction of $74,550.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 93,279 shares in the company, valued at $993,421.35. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In related news, Director Juan Miguel Mendoza bought 7,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 10th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $10.65 per share, with a total value of $74,550.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 93,279 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $993,421.35. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Henry C. Wang purchased 2,778 shares of Herbalife stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 26th. The shares were bought at an average price of $9.30 per share, for a total transaction of $25,835.40. Following the acquisition, the executive vice president now owns 176,194 shares in the company, valued at $1,638,604.20. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders acquired 61,357 shares of company stock valued at $595,463 over the last 90 days. 0.94% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Herbalife

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Herbalife by 3,832.5% during the 1st quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 1,157,309 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,631,000 after purchasing an additional 1,127,880 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its stake in Herbalife by 164.8% during the fourth quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 1,288,198 shares of the company’s stock worth $19,658,000 after buying an additional 801,644 shares during the period. Baupost Group LLC MA increased its position in shares of Herbalife by 33.6% during the first quarter. Baupost Group LLC MA now owns 2,244,923 shares of the company’s stock valued at $22,561,000 after acquiring an additional 565,124 shares during the last quarter. Iridian Asset Management LLC CT raised its stake in shares of Herbalife by 49.1% in the 4th quarter. Iridian Asset Management LLC CT now owns 1,468,636 shares of the company’s stock valued at $22,411,000 after acquiring an additional 483,635 shares during the period. Finally, Perpetual Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Herbalife in the 1st quarter worth approximately $4,013,000.

About Herbalife

Herbalife Ltd. provides health and wellness products in North America, Mexico, South and Central America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, China, and the Asia Pacific. It offers products in the areas of weight management; targeted nutrition; energy, sports, and fitness; outer nutrition; and literature and promotional items.