Readystate Asset Management LP Raises Stake in Herbalife Ltd (NYSE:HLF)

Readystate Asset Management LP lifted its holdings in Herbalife Ltd (NYSE:HLF - Free Report) by 748.1% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 114,495 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 100,995 shares during the period. Readystate Asset Management LP owned about 0.11% of Herbalife worth $988,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of HLF. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership lifted its position in shares of Herbalife by 777.0% in the 4th quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 2,987,490 shares of the company's stock worth $19,986,000 after purchasing an additional 2,646,848 shares during the period. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Herbalife by 67.0% in the 4th quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 2,570,226 shares of the company's stock worth $17,195,000 after purchasing an additional 1,031,078 shares during the period. Long Focus Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Herbalife by 27.3% in the 4th quarter. Long Focus Capital Management LLC now owns 4,758,127 shares of the company's stock worth $31,832,000 after buying an additional 1,020,127 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Herbalife by 7.5% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 11,271,417 shares of the company's stock worth $75,406,000 after buying an additional 785,574 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP grew its position in shares of Herbalife by 83.8% in the 4th quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,444,343 shares of the company's stock worth $9,663,000 after buying an additional 658,536 shares during the last quarter.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Herbalife from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 30th. Citigroup cut their price objective on shares of Herbalife from $13.00 to $11.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Herbalife presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $11.50.

Insider Activity at Herbalife

In other news, Director Juan Miguel Mendoza bought 5,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 22nd. The shares were purchased at an average price of $6.75 per share, for a total transaction of $33,750.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 166,857 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,126,284.75. This represents a 3.09% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Over the last ninety days, insiders have purchased 13,143 shares of company stock valued at $90,973. Company insiders own 1.73% of the company's stock.

Herbalife Stock Down 1.4%

Shares of Herbalife stock traded down $0.14 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $9.75. The company had a trading volume of 1,360,570 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,945,646. The stock has a market cap of $992.53 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 3.56, a PEG ratio of 0.29 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $8.53 and a 200 day simple moving average of $7.59. Herbalife Ltd has a 12-month low of $5.04 and a 12-month high of $12.79.

Herbalife (NYSE:HLF - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The company reported $0.59 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.40 by $0.19. The firm had revenue of $1.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.23 billion. Herbalife had a net margin of 5.66% and a negative return on equity of 23.75%. Herbalife's revenue was down 3.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.49 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Herbalife Ltd will post 1.57 EPS for the current year.

Herbalife Profile

Herbalife Ltd. provides health and wellness products in North America, Mexico, South and Central America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, China, and the Asia Pacific. It offers products in the areas of weight management; targeted nutrition; energy, sports, and fitness; outer nutrition; and literature and promotional items.