Herbalife Ltd (NYSE:HLF) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Herbalife Ltd (NYSE:HLF) has earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the five ratings firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $14.25.

Several research firms recently weighed in on HLF. Wall Street Zen raised Herbalife from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 28th. Argus set a $15.00 target price on Herbalife in a research report on Wednesday, November 26th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Herbalife in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Mizuho upped their price objective on Herbalife from $10.00 to $11.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 26th. Finally, Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $17.00 target price (up from $11.00) on shares of Herbalife in a research report on Friday, December 12th.

Insider Activity at Herbalife

In other Herbalife news, Director Lynda Cloud acquired 17,000 shares of Herbalife stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 18th. The shares were bought at an average price of $8.97 per share, with a total value of $152,490.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 38,857 shares in the company, valued at $348,547.29. This trade represents a 77.78% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders have acquired a total of 18,200 shares of company stock worth $167,938 in the last quarter. 1.73% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of HLF. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Herbalife by 10.9% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 12,495,374 shares of the company’s stock valued at $107,835,000 after buying an additional 1,223,957 shares during the last quarter. Fund 1 Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of Herbalife in the second quarter worth approximately $8,491,000. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC boosted its holdings in Herbalife by 6,837.9% in the first quarter. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC now owns 889,400 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,676,000 after acquiring an additional 902,600 shares during the last quarter. Tenzing Global Management LLC acquired a new stake in Herbalife during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $6,904,000. Finally, Manatuck Hill Partners LLC raised its holdings in Herbalife by 122.2% during the 3rd quarter. Manatuck Hill Partners LLC now owns 1,000,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,440,000 after purchasing an additional 550,000 shares during the last quarter.

Herbalife Trading Down 1.7%

HLF opened at $13.96 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $1.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 4.46, a PEG ratio of 0.44 and a beta of 0.82. The company’s 50 day moving average is $10.54 and its 200-day moving average is $9.61. Herbalife has a 1-year low of $5.04 and a 1-year high of $15.17.

Herbalife (NYSE:HLF) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 business had revenue of $1.27 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.27 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.57 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that Herbalife will post 1.57 EPS for the current year.

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.