Maxim Group Begins Coverage on Herbalife (NYSE:HLF)

Stock analysts at Maxim Group assumed coverage on shares of Herbalife (NYSE:HLF) in a research report issued on Tuesday. The firm set a “buy” rating and a $20.00 price target on the stock. Maxim Group’s price objective would suggest a potential upside of 45.35% from the company’s current price.

A number of other brokerages also recently weighed in on HLF. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Herbalife in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Mizuho lifted their target price on Herbalife from $10.00 to $11.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 26th. Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating and set a $17.00 target price (up from $11.00) on shares of Herbalife in a report on Friday, December 12th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Herbalife from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 28th. Finally, Argus set a $15.00 price objective on Herbalife in a report on Wednesday, November 26th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $15.40.

Herbalife Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:HLF traded up $0.85 on Tuesday, hitting $13.76. 93,883 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 874,099. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $11.58 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $10.04. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 4.32 and a beta of 0.82. Herbalife has a one year low of $5.04 and a one year high of $15.17.

Herbalife (NYSE:HLF) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The company reported $0.50 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.46 by $0.04. Herbalife had a net margin of 6.47% and a negative return on equity of 29.84%. The company had revenue of $1.27 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.27 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.57 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Herbalife will post 1.57 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Herbalife

In related news, Director Lynda Cloud purchased 17,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 18th. The shares were bought at an average price of $8.97 per share, for a total transaction of $152,490.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 38,857 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $348,547.29. This trade represents a 77.78% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders purchased a total of 18,200 shares of company stock worth $167,938 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 1.73% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Herbalife

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. FNY Investment Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Herbalife in the 2nd quarter valued at $29,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd acquired a new stake in Herbalife in the third quarter valued at about $35,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in Herbalife by 115.6% in the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 7,024 shares of the company’s stock valued at $59,000 after acquiring an additional 3,766 shares during the last quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC bought a new position in Herbalife in the third quarter valued at about $65,000. Finally, Quarry LP raised its stake in Herbalife by 49,105.3% during 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 in the last quarter.

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.