Herbalife (NYSE:HLF) Trading Up 2.8%

Herbalife Ltd. (NYSE:HLF)’s share price was up 2.8% on Monday . The stock traded as high as $8.33 and last traded at $8.33. Approximately 355,709 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 84% from the average daily volume of 2,244,504 shares. The stock had previously closed at $8.10.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently weighed in on HLF shares. StockNews.com raised shares of Herbalife from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 16th. Bank of America reduced their price objective on shares of Herbalife from $10.00 to $8.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 21st. Mizuho reduced their price objective on shares of Herbalife from $12.00 to $10.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 21st. Finally, DA Davidson reduced their price objective on shares of Herbalife from $11.00 to $9.50 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Herbalife currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $10.50.

Herbalife Price Performance

The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $9.17 and its 200-day simple moving average is $12.01. The firm has a market capitalization of $825.26 million, a PE ratio of 5.77 and a beta of 1.22.

Herbalife (NYSE:HLF) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 14th. The company reported $0.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.38 by ($0.10). Herbalife had a negative return on equity of 19.56% and a net margin of 2.81%. The firm had revenue of $1.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.19 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.53 earnings per share. Herbalife’s revenue for the quarter was up .0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Herbalife Ltd. will post 1.8 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Henry C. Wang purchased 2,778 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 26th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $9.30 per share, with a total value of $25,835.40. Following the completion of the acquisition, the executive vice president now owns 176,194 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,638,604.20. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In related news, CEO Michael Johnson acquired 61,725 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 16th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $8.07 per share, with a total value of $498,120.75. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer now directly owns 603,707 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,871,915.49. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Henry C. Wang acquired 2,778 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 26th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $9.30 per share, for a total transaction of $25,835.40. Following the completion of the acquisition, the executive vice president now directly owns 176,194 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,638,604.20. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have bought 85,757 shares of company stock valued at $723,278. 0.94% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Herbalife

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its position in Herbalife by 150.0% during the first quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 1,900 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 1,140 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Herbalife during the third quarter valued at $66,000. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. lifted its position in Herbalife by 9.9% during the second quarter. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. now owns 8,166 shares of the company’s stock valued at $108,000 after purchasing an additional 736 shares during the period. Point72 Middle East FZE acquired a new position in Herbalife during the fourth quarter valued at $121,000. Finally, Advisor Group Holdings Inc. raised its position in shares of Herbalife by 50.0% in the first quarter. Advisor Group Holdings Inc. now owns 4,243 shares of the company’s stock worth $128,000 after acquiring an additional 1,415 shares during the period.

Herbalife Company Profile

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.