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

Herbalife (NYSE:HLF) was downgraded by equities researchers at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued on Wednesday.

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

Herbalife Trading Up 2.4 %

Shares of HLF opened at $11.46 on Wednesday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $10.12 and its 200 day simple moving average is $10.97. Herbalife has a 1-year low of $6.68 and a 1-year high of $19.48. The company has a market cap of $1.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.36 and a beta of 1.23.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Herbalife

In related news, Director Juan Miguel Mendoza purchased 16,079 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 26th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $9.40 per share, with a total value of $151,142.60. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 54,622 shares in the company, valued at $513,446.80. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other Herbalife news, Director Donal L. Mulligan purchased 30,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 3rd. The shares were bought at an average price of $9.65 per share, for a total transaction of $289,500.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 60,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $579,000. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Juan Miguel Mendoza acquired 16,079 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 26th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $9.40 per share, with a total value of $151,142.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 54,622 shares in the company, valued at $513,446.80. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders purchased 61,357 shares of company stock valued at $595,463 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.94% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Herbalife

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio grew its position in shares of Herbalife by 22.9% during the 1st quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 5,558 shares of the company’s stock worth $56,000 after buying an additional 1,035 shares during the period. Foundry Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Herbalife during the first quarter worth about $105,000. Platinum Investment Management Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Herbalife by 68.0% in the 1st quarter. Platinum Investment Management Ltd. now owns 11,374 shares of the company’s stock worth $114,000 after acquiring an additional 4,603 shares during the last quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Herbalife by 140.3% in the 1st quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 12,040 shares of the company’s stock valued at $121,000 after acquiring an additional 7,030 shares in the last quarter. Finally, PEAK6 Investments LLC acquired a new position in Herbalife during the 3rd quarter valued at about $146,000.

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.