Johnson Financial Group LLC Purchases 381,500 Shares of Herbalife Ltd $HLF

Johnson Financial Group LLC raised its position in shares of Herbalife Ltd (NYSE:HLF) by 1,156.1% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 414,500 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 381,500 shares during the quarter. Herbalife comprises approximately 0.3% of Johnson Financial Group LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest holding. Johnson Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Herbalife were worth $5,343,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd bought a new stake in Herbalife during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Advisory Services Network LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Herbalife in the third quarter worth $65,000. Quarry LP grew its stake in shares of Herbalife by 49,105.3% in the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 9,349 shares of the company’s stock worth $79,000 after acquiring an additional 9,330 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in Herbalife by 512.7% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 6,544 shares of the company’s stock valued at $84,000 after purchasing an additional 5,476 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Lazard Asset Management LLC raised its stake in Herbalife by 30.4% during the 3rd quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 13,346 shares of the company’s stock valued at $113,000 after purchasing an additional 3,112 shares during the last quarter.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently commented on HLF. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $21.00 price objective (up from $17.00) on shares of Herbalife in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. Wall Street Zen raised Herbalife from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, April 18th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Herbalife from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Zacks Research lowered Herbalife from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, April 20th. Finally, Mizuho set a $17.00 price objective on Herbalife in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $17.80.

Herbalife Stock Performance

NYSE:HLF opened at $11.41 on Thursday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $14.43 and a 200-day moving average of $14.82. Herbalife Ltd has a 52 week low of $7.43 and a 52 week high of $20.40. The company has a market capitalization of $1.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.00, a PEG ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 0.88.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Herbalife Company Profile

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.