Royal Bank Of Canada Cuts Herbalife (NYSE:HLF) Price Target to $16.00

Key Points

• Royal Bank of Canada cut its price target on Herbalife from $17 to $16 and maintained a "sector perform" rating, implying roughly a 3.5% downside from the prior close.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed—three Buy vs. four Hold ratings—leaving a MarketBeat consensus rating of "Hold" with a $17.40 consensus price target.
• Herbalife reported $0.45 EPS (missed $0.48 estimates) and $1.28B in revenue (beat $1.24B); the stock traded near $16.59, has a $1.72B market cap, a 50-day average ~$16.21 and a 52-week range of $6.45–$20.40.

Herbalife (NYSE:HLF - Get Free Report) had its price objective reduced by stock analysts at Royal Bank Of Canada from $17.00 to $16.00 in a note issued to investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a "sector perform" rating on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada's price objective suggests a potential downside of 3.53% from the stock's previous close.

A number of other research analysts have also issued reports on HLF. Maxim Group assumed coverage on Herbalife in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $20.00 target price for the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded Herbalife from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Saturday, April 18th. Citigroup reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $21.00 target price (up from $17.00) on shares of Herbalife in a report on Thursday, February 19th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Herbalife in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded Herbalife from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, April 20th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $17.40.

Herbalife Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE HLF traded up $0.13 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $16.59. The stock had a trading volume of 250,316 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,512,818. Herbalife has a fifty-two week low of $6.45 and a fifty-two week high of $20.40. The business's 50-day moving average price is $16.21 and its 200-day moving average price is $13.96. The company has a market cap of $1.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.53, a PEG ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 0.95.

Herbalife (NYSE:HLF - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 19th. The company reported $0.45 earnings per share 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 firm had revenue of $1.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.24 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.36 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 6.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that Herbalife will post 2.52 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Herbalife

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Optimize Financial Inc acquired a new position in Herbalife in the 3rd quarter valued at about $511,000. Iridian Asset Management LLC CT increased its position in Herbalife by 9.9% in the 3rd quarter. Iridian Asset Management LLC CT now owns 2,449,155 shares of the company's stock valued at $20,671,000 after acquiring an additional 220,896 shares during the period. CenterBook Partners LP acquired a new position in Herbalife in the 3rd quarter valued at about $368,000. GSA Capital Partners LLP acquired a new position in Herbalife in the 3rd quarter valued at about $911,000. Finally, Picton Mahoney Asset Management acquired a new position in Herbalife in the 3rd quarter valued at about $898,000.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.