Herbalife (NYSE:HLF) Raised to Strong-Buy at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Herbalife has been upgraded by Wall Street Zen from a "buy" to a "strong-buy" rating, indicating improved analyst confidence in the stock.
• Mizuho raised its price target for Herbalife from $8.00 to $9.00, while Citigroup lowered its target from $13.00 to $11.00, with an overall consensus target price currently at $11.50.
• Herbalife reported a quarterly EPS of $0.59, surpassing the consensus of $0.40, despite a 3.4% decline in revenue compared to the previous year.

Herbalife (NYSE:HLF - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note issued on Saturday.

Several other analysts have also recently weighed in on the company. Mizuho raised their price target on Herbalife from $8.00 to $9.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, July 28th. Citigroup lowered their target price on shares of Herbalife from $13.00 to $11.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $11.50.

Herbalife Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:HLF opened at $9.17 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $8.78 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $7.68. The company has a market cap of $933.96 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 3.35, a PEG ratio of 0.27 and a beta of 0.85. Herbalife has a one year low of $5.04 and a one year high of $11.02.

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

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Juan Miguel Mendoza acquired 5,000 shares of Herbalife stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 22nd. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $6.75 per share, for a total transaction of $33,750.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 166,857 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,126,284.75. This trade represents a 3.09% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.73% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Jennison Associates LLC bought a new stake in shares of Herbalife in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $355,000. Teacher Retirement System of Texas raised its position in Herbalife by 20.2% in the 2nd quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 193,380 shares of the company's stock worth $1,667,000 after purchasing an additional 32,517 shares during the period. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd bought a new stake in Herbalife in the second quarter worth $531,000. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Herbalife during the second quarter valued at about $118,000. Finally, FNY Investment Advisers LLC bought a new position in shares of Herbalife during the second quarter valued at about $29,000.

Herbalife Company 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.

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