Herbalife (NYSE:HLF) Raised to “Strong-Buy” at Wall Street Zen

Herbalife (NYSE:HLF) was upgraded by research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report released on Saturday.

A number of other equities research analysts have also issued reports on the stock. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Herbalife from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 19th. Mizuho increased their target price on shares of Herbalife from $13.00 to $15.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, March 30th. Maxim Group began coverage on shares of Herbalife in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. They set a “buy” rating and a $20.00 target price on the stock. Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $21.00 target price (up from $17.00) on shares of Herbalife in a report on Thursday, February 19th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Herbalife in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Herbalife currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $17.75.

Herbalife Stock Performance

NYSE:HLF opened at $16.99 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.72, a PEG ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $16.18 and a 200 day moving average price of $13.64. Herbalife has a fifty-two week low of $6.20 and a fifty-two week high of $20.40.

Herbalife (NYSE:HLF) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The company reported $0.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.48 by ($0.03). The business had revenue of $1.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.24 billion. Herbalife had a negative return on equity of 35.02% and a net margin of 4.53%.Herbalife’s quarterly revenue was up 6.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.36 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that Herbalife will post 1.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Herbalife

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of HLF. Manatuck Hill Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Herbalife by 122.2% in the 3rd quarter. Manatuck Hill Partners LLC now owns 1,000,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,440,000 after purchasing an additional 550,000 shares in the last quarter. Invenomic Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of Herbalife in the 3rd quarter valued at $3,550,000. Johnson Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Herbalife by 1,156.1% in the 4th quarter. Johnson Financial Group LLC now owns 414,500 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,343,000 after purchasing an additional 381,500 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Herbalife by 60.5% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 763,857 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,447,000 after purchasing an additional 287,880 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS Group AG raised its holdings in shares of Herbalife by 74.3% in the 3rd quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 658,654 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,559,000 after purchasing an additional 280,870 shares in the last quarter.

Herbalife Company Profile

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.