Herbalife (NYSE:HLF) Rating Lowered to “Buy” at Wall Street Zen

Herbalife (NYSE:HLF) was downgraded by stock analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Saturday.

Other research analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Mizuho set a $17.00 target price on shares of Herbalife in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Weiss Ratings raised Herbalife from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Monday, June 15th. Zacks Research lowered Herbalife from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their target price on Herbalife from $17.00 to $16.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 28th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $17.80.

Herbalife Stock Down 2.9%

Shares of HLF stock opened at $12.01 on Friday. Herbalife has a 12 month low of $7.56 and a 12 month high of $20.40. The business’s 50 day moving average is $12.37 and its two-hundred day moving average is $14.74. The company has a market cap of $1.24 billion, a PE ratio of 5.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.68 and a beta of 0.86.

Herbalife (NYSE:HLF) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.61 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $1.32 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.30 billion. Herbalife had a net margin of 4.67% and a negative return on equity of 41.47%. Herbalife’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.59 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that Herbalife will post 2.68 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Herbalife news, COO Troy Hicks sold 38,377 shares of Herbalife stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $12.93, for a total transaction of $496,214.61. Following the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 9,062 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $117,171.66. The trade was a 80.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Frank Lamberti sold 134,982 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the insider owned 36,624 shares in the company, valued at approximately $494,424. This represents a 78.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 191,296 shares of company stock valued at $2,551,678 in the last three months. Company insiders own 5.13% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Herbalife

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd bought a new stake in Herbalife in the fourth quarter valued at $32,000. KBC Group NV bought a new position in shares of Herbalife during the first quarter valued at $44,000. Advisory Services Network LLC bought a new position in shares of Herbalife during the third quarter valued at $65,000. Quarry LP lifted its holdings in shares of Herbalife by 49,105.3% during the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 9,349 shares of the company’s stock valued at $79,000 after acquiring an additional 9,330 shares during the period. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Herbalife by 512.7% in 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 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.