86,731 Shares in Herbalife Ltd $HLF Acquired by CWA Asset Management Group LLC

Key Points

• CWA Asset Management Group acquired 86,731 Herbalife shares worth approximately $1.05 million, while several other institutional investors also increased or initiated positions.
• Analyst sentiment is generally positive: Herbalife has a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $17.67, despite mixed individual rating changes.
• Herbalife authorized a $250 million stock buyback, covering up to 19.3% of outstanding shares. The company’s latest quarter featured 5.4% year-over-year revenue growth but EPS of $0.51, below the $0.54 consensus estimate.

CWA Asset Management Group LLC acquired a new position in Herbalife Ltd (NYSE:HLF - Free Report) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 86,731 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,052,000. CWA Asset Management Group LLC owned 0.08% of Herbalife as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HLF. Pacer Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Herbalife in the 1st quarter valued at $9,491,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new position in shares of Herbalife during the 2nd quarter worth $5,842,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of Herbalife by 29.3% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,877,717 shares of the company's stock worth $27,638,000 after purchasing an additional 425,968 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its position in shares of Herbalife by 11.5% during the 1st quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 2,596,795 shares of the company's stock worth $38,225,000 after purchasing an additional 267,539 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Corient Private Wealth LP increased its position in shares of Herbalife by 697.8% during the 2nd quarter. Corient Private Wealth LP now owns 179,125 shares of the company's stock worth $2,355,000 after purchasing an additional 156,672 shares during the last quarter.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have commented on HLF. Texas Capital raised shares of Herbalife to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, September 17th. Zacks Research raised shares of Herbalife from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 30th. UBS Group set a $21.00 price target on shares of Herbalife in a research report on Thursday, September 17th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Herbalife from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Herbalife from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Sunday, September 27th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Herbalife currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $17.67.

Herbalife Stock Up 0.8%

Herbalife stock opened at $13.82 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $1.45 billion, a PE ratio of 6.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.45 and a beta of 0.78. Herbalife Ltd has a 52-week low of $7.56 and a 52-week high of $20.40. The company's 50 day moving average is $12.60 and its two-hundred day moving average is $13.00.

Herbalife (NYSE:HLF - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The company reported $0.51 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.54 by ($0.03). Herbalife had a net margin of 3.16% and a negative return on equity of 43.90%. The business had revenue of $1.33 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.31 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.59 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Herbalife Ltd will post 2.68 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Herbalife announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, September 8th that permits the company to buy back $250.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to buy up to 19.3% of its shares through open market purchases. Share repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Herbalife Profile

Herbalife Ltd. NYSE: HLF is a global nutrition and wellness company that develops and distributes products through a network of independent members and distributors. Its offerings include meal-replacement shakes, protein and other dietary supplements, vitamins, sports nutrition products, and personal-care items.

Founded in 1980 by Mark Hughes, Herbalife sells its products through direct-selling channels rather than primarily through traditional retail stores. Independent distributors market the products, provide product guidance, and may operate nutrition clubs or similar community-based businesses.

The company serves customers across numerous markets in North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and other regions.

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