Herbalife (NYSE:HLF) Cut to “Hold” at Zacks Research

Zacks Research lowered shares of Herbalife (NYSE:HLF) from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research report report published on Monday morning,Zacks.com reports.

HLF has been the topic of a number of other reports. Citigroup restated 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. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Herbalife in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Maxim Group began coverage on shares of Herbalife in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $20.00 target price on the stock. Mizuho upped their target price on shares of Herbalife from $13.00 to $15.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, March 30th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Herbalife from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, April 18th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $17.75.

Herbalife Trading Up 0.4%

NYSE:HLF opened at $16.55 on Monday. Herbalife has a twelve month low of $6.45 and a twelve month high of $20.40. The company has a market cap of $1.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 0.95. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $16.18 and a 200-day simple moving average of $13.77.

Herbalife (NYSE:HLF) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The company reported $0.45 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.48 by ($0.03). Herbalife had a negative return on equity of 35.02% and a net margin of 4.53%.The business had revenue of $1.28 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.24 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.36 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Herbalife will post 2.52 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Herbalife

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Optimize Financial Inc lifted its position in shares of Herbalife by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Optimize Financial Inc now owns 61,426 shares of the company’s stock worth $792,000 after purchasing an additional 880 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in shares of Herbalife by 7.0% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 14,176 shares of the company’s stock worth $200,000 after purchasing an additional 933 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its position in shares of Herbalife by 3.4% in the 2nd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 36,642 shares of the company’s stock worth $316,000 after purchasing an additional 1,217 shares during the period. CWM LLC lifted its position in shares of Herbalife by 5.9% in the 4th quarter. CWM LLC now owns 24,229 shares of the company’s stock worth $312,000 after purchasing an additional 1,348 shares during the period. Finally, Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of Herbalife by 8.9% in the 4th quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 16,488 shares of the company’s stock worth $213,000 after purchasing an additional 1,351 shares during the period.

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.