Principal Financial Group Inc. Takes Position in Herbalife Ltd $HLF

Key Points

• Principal Financial Group acquired 122,909 Herbalife shares worth approximately $1.81 million, while several other institutional investors also increased their holdings during the first quarter.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed but leans toward caution: Herbalife has an overall “Hold” consensus rating and an average price target of $17.80, with several firms recently downgrading the stock.
• Herbalife beat quarterly expectations with $0.64 in EPS and $1.32 billion in revenue, up 7.8% year over year. However, insiders sold 191,296 shares worth about $2.55 million over the past 90 days, and the stock opened at $12.47.

Principal Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Herbalife Ltd (NYSE:HLF - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 122,909 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,809,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned approximately 0.12% of Herbalife as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Herbalife by 236.8% in the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 133,245 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,150,000 after acquiring an additional 93,686 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its holdings in Herbalife by 4.4% during the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 59,964 shares of the company's stock worth $517,000 after acquiring an additional 2,523 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC increased its position in shares of Herbalife by 12.9% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 30,301 shares of the company's stock valued at $261,000 after purchasing an additional 3,474 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its position in shares of Herbalife by 3.3% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 210,904 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,820,000 after purchasing an additional 6,747 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Envestnet Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Herbalife in the 2nd quarter valued at $118,000.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on HLF shares. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Herbalife from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, July 18th. Mizuho set a $17.00 target price on Herbalife in a report on Monday, May 4th. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price target on 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. Finally, Zacks Research cut Herbalife from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued 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.

Insider Buying and Selling at Herbalife

In other news, insider Frank Lamberti sold 134,982 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $13.50, for a total value of $1,822,257.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 36,624 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $494,424. The trade was a 78.66% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, COO Troy Hicks sold 38,377 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $12.93, for a total value of $496,214.61. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 9,062 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $117,171.66. This trade represents a 80.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 191,296 shares of company stock valued at $2,551,678 in the last 90 days. 5.13% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Herbalife Trading Down 0.3%

Shares of NYSE:HLF opened at $12.47 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $1.29 billion, a PE ratio of 5.47, a P/E/G ratio of 0.69 and a beta of 0.86. Herbalife Ltd has a twelve month low of $7.56 and a twelve month high of $20.40. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $12.25 and a 200-day simple moving average of $14.66.

Herbalife (NYSE:HLF - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.61 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $1.32 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.30 billion. Herbalife had a net margin of 4.67% and a negative return on equity of 41.47%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.59 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Herbalife Ltd will post 2.68 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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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