Herbalife (NYSE:HLF) Shares Down 5.6% – Here’s Why

Shares of Herbalife Ltd. (NYSE:HLF) dropped 5.6% during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $8.37 and last traded at $8.42. Approximately 666,187 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 70% from the average daily volume of 2,200,225 shares. The stock had previously closed at $8.91.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, DA Davidson restated a “neutral” rating and set a $7.50 price target on shares of Herbalife in a report on Thursday, February 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $9.90.

Herbalife Price Performance

The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $6.69 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $7.21. The firm has a market capitalization of $859.67 million, a P/E ratio of 3.41, a P/E/G ratio of 0.29 and a beta of 1.02.

Herbalife (NYSE:HLF) last released its earnings results 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 company had revenue of $1.21 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 expect that Herbalife Ltd. will post 1.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Herbalife

In other Herbalife news, Director Juan Miguel Mendoza purchased 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 27th. The shares were bought 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 $1,093,125. This represents a 3.92 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.94% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Herbalife

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Q Global Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Herbalife during the 4th quarter worth $2,438,000. Mackenzie Financial Corp purchased a new stake in Herbalife during the fourth quarter valued at about $960,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio lifted its stake in Herbalife by 341.0% during the fourth quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 149,476 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,000,000 after purchasing an additional 115,578 shares during the last quarter. PharVision Advisers LLC purchased a new position in shares of Herbalife in the 4th quarter worth about $720,000. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its position in shares of Herbalife by 21.4% during 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 purchasing an additional 35,948 shares during the last quarter.

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.