Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Raises Holdings in Herbalife Ltd $HLF

Key Points

• Dimensional Fund Advisors increased its Herbalife stake by 29.3% in the first quarter, adding 425,968 shares to own 1.88 million shares valued at approximately $27.6 million.
• Wall Street sentiment remains cautious: analysts’ average rating is “Hold”, with a consensus price target of $17.80. Several firms recently downgraded the stock or lowered their price targets.
• Herbalife reported quarterly revenue of $1.33 billion, up 5.4% year over year, but earnings per share of $0.51 missed estimates of $0.54. The stock opened at $12.57, while insiders sold roughly $2.55 million worth of shares during the quarter.

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in Herbalife Ltd (NYSE:HLF - Free Report) by 29.3% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,877,717 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 425,968 shares during the quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned approximately 1.82% of Herbalife worth $27,638,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new position in Herbalife during the fourth quarter worth $32,000. KBC Group NV purchased a new stake in shares of Herbalife in the first quarter valued at $44,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Herbalife by 512.7% in the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 6,544 shares of the company's stock valued at $84,000 after acquiring an additional 5,476 shares in the last quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Herbalife during the third quarter valued at $65,000. Finally, New York State Teachers Retirement System acquired a new stake in shares of Herbalife during the fourth quarter valued at $119,000.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HLF has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Zacks Research cut Herbalife from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their target price on shares of Herbalife from $17.00 to $16.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 28th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Herbalife from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a report on Friday, July 24th. Mizuho set a $17.00 price target on shares of Herbalife in a report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Herbalife from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, July 18th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $17.80.

Herbalife Stock Down 1.8%

Shares of NYSE:HLF opened at $12.57 on Thursday. Herbalife Ltd has a fifty-two week low of $7.56 and a fifty-two week high of $20.40. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $12.28 and a 200 day simple moving average of $14.57. The company has a market cap of $1.30 billion, a PE ratio of 5.51, a P/E/G ratio of 0.70 and a beta of 0.87.

Herbalife (NYSE:HLF - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported $0.51 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.54 by ($0.03). Herbalife had a negative return on equity of 41.47% and a net margin of 4.67%.The business had revenue of $1.33 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.31 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.59 EPS. Herbalife's revenue was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that Herbalife Ltd will post 2.68 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Frank Lamberti sold 134,982 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $13.50, for a total transaction of $1,822,257.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 36,624 shares in the company, valued at approximately $494,424. This represents a 78.66% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, COO Troy Hicks sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $12.32, for a total transaction of $123,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 9,706 shares in the company, valued at approximately $119,577.92. This trade represents a 50.75% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 191,296 shares of company stock worth $2,551,678 over the last quarter. Insiders own 5.13% of the company's stock.

Herbalife 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.

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