Herbalife (NYSE:HLF) Trading Down 8.4% - What's Next?

Herbalife Ltd. (NYSE:HLF - Get Free Report) shares dropped 8.4% during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as low as $7.45 and last traded at $7.58. Approximately 644,656 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 74% from the average daily volume of 2,466,552 shares. The stock had previously closed at $8.27.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. StockNews.com raised Herbalife from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st. DA Davidson upgraded shares of Herbalife from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price objective for the company from $7.50 to $14.00 in a report on Friday, March 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $12.00.

Herbalife Stock Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $678.48 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 2.69, a P/E/G ratio of 0.29 and a beta of 1.02. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $7.57 and a 200 day simple moving average of $7.28.

Herbalife (NYSE:HLF - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 19th. The company reported $0.36 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.08 by $0.28. The company had revenue of $1.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.19 billion. Herbalife had a negative return on equity of 20.78% and a net margin of 5.09%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Herbalife Ltd. will post 1.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Herbalife

In other Herbalife news, Director Juan Miguel Mendoza bought 5,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 27th. The shares were bought at an average price of $8.25 per share, for a total transaction of $41,250.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 132,500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,093,125. This trade represents a 3.92 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.73% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Herbalife

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Bryce Point Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Herbalife during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,417,000. Perpetual Ltd boosted its stake in Herbalife by 107.1% during the fourth quarter. Perpetual Ltd now owns 966,063 shares of the company's stock worth $6,463,000 after acquiring an additional 499,572 shares in the last quarter. Johnson Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in Herbalife in the fourth quarter worth $221,000. US Bancorp DE bought a new stake in Herbalife in the fourth quarter valued at $322,000. Finally, Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Herbalife by 10.9% during the fourth quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 610,953 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,087,000 after purchasing an additional 60,158 shares during the period.

About Herbalife

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.