Wall Street Zen Downgrades Herbalife (NYSE:HLF) to Hold

Herbalife (NYSE:HLF) was downgraded by equities researchers at Wall Street Zen from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a note issued to investors on Saturday.

HLF has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Herbalife from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Friday, July 24th. Zacks Research downgraded Herbalife from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Mizuho set a $17.00 price target on Herbalife in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price target on Herbalife from $17.00 to $16.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 28th. Finally, Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $17.00 price target (down from $21.00) on shares of Herbalife in a report on Friday. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $17.00.

Herbalife Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of HLF stock opened at $12.33 on Friday. Herbalife has a 1 year low of $7.56 and a 1 year high of $20.40. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $12.26 and its 200 day simple moving average is $14.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.40 and a beta of 0.87.

Herbalife (NYSE:HLF) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported $0.51 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.54 by ($0.03). Herbalife had a net margin of 3.16% and a negative return on equity of 43.90%. The company had revenue of $1.33 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.31 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.59 earnings per share. Herbalife’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Herbalife will post 2.68 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Herbalife

In other Herbalife news, insider Frank Lamberti sold 134,982 shares of the business’s 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 sale, the insider owned 36,624 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $494,424. The trade was a 78.66% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, COO Troy Hicks sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $12.32, for a total transaction of $123,200.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 9,706 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $119,577.92. The trade was a 50.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 183,359 shares of company stock worth $2,441,672 in the last three months. Insiders own 5.13% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership boosted its holdings in Herbalife by 11.5% during the first quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 2,596,795 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,225,000 after purchasing an additional 267,539 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Herbalife by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,577,634 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,231,000 after buying an additional 25,783 shares in the last quarter. Quantedge Capital Pte Ltd raised its holdings in shares of Herbalife by 5.2% in the 4th quarter. Quantedge Capital Pte Ltd now owns 2,249,683 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,998,000 after buying an additional 111,700 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in shares of Herbalife by 29.3% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,877,717 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,638,000 after buying an additional 425,968 shares during the period. Finally, Solel Partners LP lifted its position in shares of Herbalife by 18.7% during the 2nd quarter. Solel Partners LP now owns 1,669,405 shares of the company’s stock worth $14,390,000 after buying an additional 262,614 shares during the period.

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.