Herbalife (NYSE:HLF) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen upgraded Herbalife from a "buy" to a "strong-buy," joining Zacks' recent upgrade and contributing to a MarketBeat consensus of "Moderate Buy" with a $17.75 price target.
• The stock jumped about 5%, opening at $16.99, with a market cap of $1.76 billion, a P/E of 7.72 and a 52-week range of $6.20 to $20.40.
• Herbalife's latest quarter was mixed: revenue beat estimates at $1.28 billion (up 6.3% YoY) while EPS of $0.45 missed the $0.48 consensus.

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

A number of other equities research analysts also recently commented on HLF. Citigroup restated a "buy" rating and issued a $21.00 target price (up from $17.00) on shares of Herbalife in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. Maxim Group assumed coverage on Herbalife in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $20.00 target price on the stock. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Herbalife in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Zacks Research upgraded Herbalife from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. Finally, Mizuho lifted their target price on Herbalife from $13.00 to $15.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, March 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $17.75.

Herbalife Stock Up 5.0%

NYSE:HLF opened at $16.99 on Friday. Herbalife has a 52 week low of $6.20 and a 52 week high of $20.40. The company has a market capitalization of $1.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.72, a P/E/G ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 0.95. The stock's fifty day moving average is $16.18 and its two-hundred day moving average is $13.57.

Herbalife (NYSE:HLF - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The company reported $0.45 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.48 by ($0.03). Herbalife had a net margin of 4.53% and a negative return on equity of 35.02%. The business had revenue of $1.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.24 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.36 EPS. Herbalife's revenue for the quarter was up 6.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Herbalife will post 1.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Herbalife

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of HLF. Manatuck Hill Partners LLC increased its holdings in Herbalife by 122.2% during the 3rd quarter. Manatuck Hill Partners LLC now owns 1,000,000 shares of the company's stock worth $8,440,000 after purchasing an additional 550,000 shares during the period. Invenomic Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in Herbalife during the 3rd quarter worth about $3,550,000. Johnson Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in Herbalife by 1,156.1% during the 4th quarter. Johnson Financial Group LLC now owns 414,500 shares of the company's stock worth $5,343,000 after purchasing an additional 381,500 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. increased its holdings in Herbalife by 60.5% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 763,857 shares of the company's stock worth $6,447,000 after purchasing an additional 287,880 shares during the period. Finally, UBS Group AG increased its holdings in Herbalife by 74.3% during the 3rd quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 658,654 shares of the company's stock worth $5,559,000 after purchasing an additional 280,870 shares during the period.

About Herbalife

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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