Diversify Advisory Services LLC Sells 89,132 Shares of Herbalife Ltd $HLF

Key Points

• Diversify Advisory Services LLC cut its Herbalife stake by 85.3% in the third quarter, selling 89,132 shares and retaining 15,327 shares valued at approximately $186,000.
• Institutional investor activity was mixed, while several analysts upgraded Herbalife. The stock carries a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating with an average price target of $17.67.
• Herbalife’s shares opened at $13.35, and the company recently authorized a $250 million stock buyback. Its latest quarterly revenue rose 5.4% year over year, although earnings per share fell short of expectations.

Diversify Advisory Services LLC lessened its position in Herbalife Ltd (NYSE:HLF - Free Report) by 85.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 15,327 shares of the company's stock after selling 89,132 shares during the quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC's holdings in Herbalife were worth $186,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its stake in Herbalife by 11.5% during the 1st quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 2,596,795 shares of the company's stock valued at $38,225,000 after purchasing an additional 267,539 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in shares of Herbalife by 29.3% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,877,717 shares of the company's stock worth $27,638,000 after buying an additional 425,968 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Herbalife during the first quarter valued at $9,491,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new position in shares of Herbalife during the second quarter valued at $5,842,000. Finally, Squarepoint Ops LLC raised its position in Herbalife by 39.4% during the second quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 428,376 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,633,000 after buying an additional 121,026 shares during the period.

Analyst Ratings Changes

HLF has been the subject of a number of research reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded Herbalife from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, October 24th. Zacks Research upgraded Herbalife from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, September 30th. UBS Group set a $21.00 target price on Herbalife in a report on Thursday, September 17th. Texas Capital raised shares of Herbalife to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, September 17th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Herbalife in a report on Thursday, October 22nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $17.67.

Herbalife Trading Down 0.9%

NYSE HLF opened at $13.35 on Thursday. Herbalife Ltd has a 1-year low of $7.56 and a 1-year high of $20.40. The company has a market capitalization of $1.40 billion, a PE ratio of 8.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.44 and a beta of 0.78. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $12.69 and its 200-day simple moving average is $14.03.

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

Herbalife announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, September 8th that permits the company to repurchase $250 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to buy up to 19.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Share repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Herbalife Company 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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