Herbalife (NYSE:HLF) Upgraded by StockNews.com to Strong-Buy Rating

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Herbalife (NYSE:HLF) from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note released on Friday.

Separately, DA Davidson raised shares of Herbalife from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $7.50 to $14.00 in a research report on Friday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Herbalife currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $12.00.

Herbalife Stock Performance

Shares of HLF stock opened at $8.42 on Friday. Herbalife has a 52-week low of $5.04 and a 52-week high of $12.79. The stock has a market cap of $852.89 million, a PE ratio of 3.38, a PEG ratio of 0.29 and a beta of 1.03. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $6.97 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $7.21.

Herbalife (NYSE:HLF) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 19th. The company reported $0.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.08 by $0.28. The firm had revenue of $1.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.19 billion. Herbalife had a net margin of 5.09% and a negative return on equity of 20.78%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Herbalife will post 1.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Herbalife news, Director Juan Miguel Mendoza purchased 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 27th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $8.25 per share, for a total transaction of $41,250.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 132,500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,093,125. This represents a 3.92 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 1.73% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Herbalife

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Q Global Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Herbalife in the 4th quarter valued at $2,438,000. Mackenzie Financial Corp acquired a new stake in Herbalife in the 4th quarter valued at $960,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio increased its stake in Herbalife by 341.0% in the 4th quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 149,476 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,000,000 after buying an additional 115,578 shares during the last quarter. PharVision Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in Herbalife in the 4th quarter valued at $720,000. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its stake in Herbalife by 21.4% in the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 204,157 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,366,000 after buying an additional 35,948 shares during the last quarter.

About Herbalife

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.