Herbalife (NYSE:HLF) Shares Gap Down - Time to Sell?

Shares of Herbalife Ltd. (NYSE:HLF - Get Free Report) gapped down prior to trading on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $8.02, but opened at $7.81. Herbalife shares last traded at $7.79, with a volume of 954,376 shares trading hands.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have issued reports on HLF. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Herbalife from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Mizuho increased their price objective on Herbalife from $8.00 to $9.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. B. Riley decreased their target price on Herbalife from $17.00 to $12.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Finally, DA Davidson restated a "neutral" rating and set a $7.50 price target on shares of Herbalife in a report on Thursday, February 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Herbalife currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $9.90.

Herbalife Trading Down 5.0 %

The stock's fifty day moving average price is $6.32 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $7.20. The firm has a market capitalization of $836.42 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 3.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.29 and a beta of 1.15.

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Herbalife

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership boosted its holdings in shares of Herbalife by 777.0% in the 4th quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 2,987,490 shares of the company's stock valued at $19,986,000 after buying an additional 2,646,848 shares in the last quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. lifted its position in Herbalife by 67.0% in the fourth quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 2,570,226 shares of the company's stock valued at $17,195,000 after acquiring an additional 1,031,078 shares during the last quarter. Long Focus Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Herbalife by 27.3% in the fourth quarter. Long Focus Capital Management LLC now owns 4,758,127 shares of the company's stock valued at $31,832,000 after acquiring an additional 1,020,127 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Herbalife by 7.5% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 11,271,417 shares of the company's stock valued at $75,406,000 after acquiring an additional 785,574 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Iridian Asset Management LLC CT grew its holdings in shares of Herbalife by 43.7% during the third quarter. Iridian Asset Management LLC CT now owns 2,228,193 shares of the company's stock worth $16,021,000 after purchasing an additional 677,739 shares during the last quarter.

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.