Analysts Set Herbalife Ltd (NYSE:HLF) Price Target at $17.80

Herbalife Ltd (NYSE:HLF) has been given a consensus rating of “Hold” by the seven research firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12-month target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $17.80.

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on HLF. Wall Street Zen upgraded Herbalife from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, April 18th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Herbalife from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Monday. Zacks Research downgraded Herbalife from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their target price on Herbalife from $17.00 to $16.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 28th. Finally, Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $21.00 target price (up from $17.00) on shares of Herbalife in a research note on Thursday, February 19th.

Herbalife Stock Performance

Herbalife stock opened at $11.88 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $13.82 and its 200-day moving average is $14.87. Herbalife has a 1 year low of $7.56 and a 1 year high of $20.40. The company has a market cap of $1.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 5.21, a PEG ratio of 0.69 and a beta of 0.88.

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

Insider Activity

In related news, COO Troy Hicks sold 10,000 shares of Herbalife stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $12.32, for a total value of $123,200.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 9,706 shares in the company, valued at $119,577.92. This trade represents a 50.75% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Frank Lamberti sold 134,982 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $13.50, for a total transaction of $1,822,257.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 36,624 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $494,424. The trade was a 78.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 191,296 shares of company stock worth $2,551,678. 5.13% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Herbalife

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HLF. Pacer Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Herbalife during the 1st quarter valued at $9,491,000. Empowered Funds LLC grew its stake in shares of Herbalife by 39.8% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 37,333 shares of the company’s stock worth $550,000 after purchasing an additional 10,625 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Herbalife by 12.6% during the first quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 7,366 shares of the company’s stock valued at $108,000 after purchasing an additional 822 shares during the period. California State Teachers Retirement System increased its holdings in shares of Herbalife by 26.1% during the first quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 117,429 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,729,000 after purchasing an additional 24,287 shares during the period. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its stake in shares of Herbalife by 47.4% during the first quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 44,926 shares of the company’s stock valued at $661,000 after purchasing an additional 14,455 shares in the last quarter.

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.