Herbalife (NYSE:HLF) Sets New 52-Week High After Earnings Beat

Shares of Herbalife Ltd. (NYSE:HLF) reached a new 52-week high on Wednesday following a better than expected earnings announcement. The company traded as high as $7.32 and last traded at $7.24, with a volume of 3472237 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $7.07.

The company reported $0.59 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.40 by $0.19. The company had revenue of $1.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.23 billion. Herbalife had a negative return on equity of 20.78% and a net margin of 5.09%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 3.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.49 earnings per share.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Citigroup reduced their price objective on shares of Herbalife from $13.00 to $11.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Herbalife from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, DA Davidson upgraded shares of Herbalife from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the company from $7.50 to $14.00 in a report on Friday, March 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $11.50.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Juan Miguel Mendoza bought 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 27th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $8.25 per share, with a total value of $41,250.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 132,500 shares in the company, valued at $1,093,125. This represents a 3.92 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 1.73% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Herbalife

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC increased its position in shares of Herbalife by 3.8% during the fourth quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 44,790 shares of the company’s stock valued at $300,000 after purchasing an additional 1,636 shares during the period. Avaii Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Herbalife by 3.8% in the 1st quarter. Avaii Wealth Management LLC now owns 60,836 shares of the company’s stock valued at $525,000 after buying an additional 2,202 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Herbalife by 4.6% in the 4th quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 57,441 shares of the company’s stock valued at $384,000 after buying an additional 2,516 shares in the last quarter. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Herbalife by 3.4% during the 1st quarter. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC now owns 80,402 shares of the company’s stock worth $694,000 after acquiring an additional 2,633 shares during the period. Finally, Swiss National Bank boosted its position in shares of Herbalife by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 198,172 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,326,000 after acquiring an additional 3,100 shares in the last quarter.

Herbalife Price Performance

The firm has a market cap of $671.89 million, a P/E ratio of 2.66, a PEG ratio of 0.29 and a beta of 1.02. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $7.75 and its two-hundred day moving average is $7.25.

Herbalife Company Profile

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.