Herbalife Ltd (NYSE:HLF) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Shares of Herbalife Ltd (NYSE:HLF) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the seven ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $17.80.

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on HLF shares. Weiss Ratings downgraded Herbalife from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their target price on Herbalife from $17.00 to $16.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 28th. Mizuho set a $17.00 target price on Herbalife in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating and set a $21.00 target price (up from $17.00) on shares of Herbalife in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Herbalife from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, April 18th.

Herbalife Stock Down 0.7%

HLF opened at $12.11 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $13.99 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $14.87. The company has a market cap of $1.26 billion, a PE ratio of 5.31, a P/E/G ratio of 0.72 and a beta of 0.88. Herbalife has a 52 week low of $7.56 and a 52 week high of $20.40.

Herbalife (NYSE:HLF) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.61 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $1.32 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.30 billion. Herbalife had a negative return on equity of 41.47% and a net margin of 4.67%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.59 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Herbalife will post 2.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Herbalife

In related news, insider Frank Lamberti sold 134,982 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $13.50, for a total value of $1,822,257.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 36,624 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $494,424. This trade represents a 78.66% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, COO Troy Hicks sold 38,377 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $12.93, for a total value of $496,214.61. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 9,062 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $117,171.66. The trade was a 80.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 191,296 shares of company stock valued at $2,551,678 over the last ninety days. 5.13% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Herbalife

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of HLF. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its position in Herbalife by 236.8% during the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 133,245 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,150,000 after buying an additional 93,686 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its position in Herbalife by 4.4% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 59,964 shares of the company’s stock worth $517,000 after buying an additional 2,523 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC increased its position in Herbalife by 12.9% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 30,301 shares of the company’s stock worth $261,000 after buying an additional 3,474 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its position in Herbalife by 3.3% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 210,904 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,820,000 after buying an additional 6,747 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Envestnet Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in Herbalife during the second quarter worth $118,000.

About Herbalife

Herbalife Nutrition Ltd. (NYSE: HLF) operates as a global multi-level marketing company specializing in weight-management, nutritional supplement, sports nutrition and personal care products. Its portfolio includes protein shakes, vitamins, energy and fitness supplements, hydration products and skin and hair care items, all formulated to support wellness, performance and healthy living. Products are manufactured in GMP-certified facilities to ensure consistent quality and safety standards.

Founded in 1980 by Mark R.