Vanguard Group Inc. Sells 242,053 Shares of Herbalife Ltd $HLF

Key Points

• Vanguard Group trimmed its Herbalife stake by 242,053 shares (a 1.9% reduction) in Q3, leaving it with 12,173,165 shares (about 11.81% ownership) valued at roughly $102.7 million.
• Wall Street sentiment is mildly positive with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $16.60, while recent analyst actions include upgrades (Zacks to strong-buy) and buy ratings with targets up to $21 from Citigroup.
• Herbalife reported quarterly EPS of $0.45 (missing estimates by $0.03) and revenue up 6.3% year-over-year; the stock trades at a P/E of 7.84 with a market cap of $1.78 billion and a 52‑week range of $6.20–$20.40.

Vanguard Group Inc. reduced its position in shares of Herbalife Ltd (NYSE:HLF - Free Report) by 1.9% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 12,173,165 shares of the company's stock after selling 242,053 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 11.81% of Herbalife worth $102,742,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in shares of Herbalife by 115.6% during the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 7,024 shares of the company's stock worth $59,000 after purchasing an additional 3,766 shares during the period. CHICAGO TRUST Co NA acquired a new stake in Herbalife in the 3rd quarter valued at $100,000. EMC Capital Management bought a new stake in Herbalife during the 2nd quarter valued at $109,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in Herbalife during the third quarter worth $117,000. Finally, Envestnet Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in Herbalife during the second quarter worth $118,000.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on HLF shares. Mizuho set a $13.00 target price on shares of Herbalife and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Maxim Group started coverage on Herbalife in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. They set a "buy" rating and a $20.00 price objective for the company. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Herbalife in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Citigroup reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $21.00 price target (up from $17.00) on shares of Herbalife in a report on Thursday, February 19th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Herbalife from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $16.60.

Herbalife Stock Performance

Shares of HLF stock opened at $17.25 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $1.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.84, a P/E/G ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 0.83. Herbalife Ltd has a 52 week low of $6.20 and a 52 week high of $20.40. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $16.37 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $12.28.

Herbalife (NYSE:HLF - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The company reported $0.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.48 by ($0.03). Herbalife had a negative return on equity of 35.02% and a net margin of 4.53%.The company had revenue of $1.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.24 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.36 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 6.3% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that Herbalife Ltd will post 1.57 earnings per share for the current 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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