Baupost Group LLC MA Buys 2,879,603 Shares of Herbalife Ltd. (NYSE:HLF)

Baupost Group LLC MA grew its stake in Herbalife Ltd. (NYSE:HLF) by 128.3% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 5,124,526 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,879,603 shares during the quarter. Herbalife accounts for 1.5% of Baupost Group LLC MA’s holdings, making the stock its 18th biggest position. Baupost Group LLC MA owned 5.13% of Herbalife worth $53,244,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. GSA Capital Partners LLP increased its stake in Herbalife by 523.6% in the fourth quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP now owns 177,281 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,705,000 after purchasing an additional 148,851 shares in the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its stake in Herbalife by 5,249.2% during the 1st quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 138,599 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,390,000 after buying an additional 136,008 shares during the period. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Herbalife by 7.7% during the fourth quarter. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC now owns 1,624,370 shares of the company’s stock worth $24,788,000 after acquiring an additional 116,030 shares in the last quarter. Capstone Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Herbalife in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $1,397,000. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its position in shares of Herbalife by 4.6% during the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 82,287 shares of the company’s stock worth $827,000 after acquiring an additional 3,647 shares in the last quarter.

Herbalife Stock Up 2.8 %

NYSE HLF opened at $7.23 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $9.15 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $9.65. Herbalife Ltd. has a 12-month low of $6.68 and a 12-month high of $15.71. The company has a market capitalization of $722.27 million, a P/E ratio of 5.27 and a beta of 1.20.

Herbalife (NYSE:HLF) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 31st. The company reported $0.54 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.43 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $1.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.33 billion. Herbalife had a negative return on equity of 18.69% and a net margin of 1.63%. The company’s revenue was down 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.74 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Herbalife Ltd. will post 1.34 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. B. Riley lifted their price objective on shares of Herbalife from $16.00 to $17.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. StockNews.com upgraded Herbalife from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, September 13th. DA Davidson increased their price objective on shares of Herbalife from $9.50 to $13.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. Finally, Mizuho lifted their target price on shares of Herbalife from $10.00 to $11.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, June 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $12.33.

Insider Buying and Selling at Herbalife

In other news, Director Juan Miguel Mendoza purchased 10,000 shares of Herbalife stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 26th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $8.72 per share, for a total transaction of $87,200.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 110,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $959,200. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 0.94% of the company’s stock.

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.