Short Interest in Herbalife Ltd. (NYSE:HLF) Drops By 7.7%

Herbalife Ltd. (NYSE:HLF) was the target of a significant decline in short interest in the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 12,070,000 shares, a decline of 7.7% from the March 15th total of 13,080,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 2,280,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 5.3 days. Approximately 12.7% of the company’s shares are sold short.

Herbalife Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:HLF traded down $0.10 on Tuesday, hitting $8.20. The stock had a trading volume of 1,487,272 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,245,701. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $9.17 and its 200-day moving average price is $12.01. Herbalife has a twelve month low of $6.68 and a twelve month high of $19.48. The company has a market capitalization of $818.28 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.77 and a beta of 1.22.

Herbalife (NYSE:HLF) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 14th. The company reported $0.28 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.38 by ($0.10). The firm had revenue of $1.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.19 billion. Herbalife had a negative return on equity of 19.56% and a net margin of 2.81%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up .0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.53 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Herbalife will post 1.8 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

HLF has been the topic of several recent research reports. DA Davidson decreased their price objective on Herbalife from $11.00 to $9.50 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 25th. Bank of America lowered their price target on shares of Herbalife from $10.00 to $8.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 21st. StockNews.com raised shares of Herbalife from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 16th. Finally, Mizuho decreased their target price on shares of Herbalife from $12.00 to $10.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Herbalife has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $10.50.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Rodica Macadrai purchased 5,175 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 11th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $9.31 per share, for a total transaction of $48,179.25. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 12,716 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $118,385.96. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, CEO Michael Johnson bought 61,725 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 16th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $8.07 per share, with a total value of $498,120.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 603,707 shares in the company, valued at $4,871,915.49. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Rodica Macadrai purchased 5,175 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 11th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $9.31 per share, for a total transaction of $48,179.25. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 12,716 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $118,385.96. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have bought 85,757 shares of company stock worth $723,278 over the last 90 days. 0.94% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Herbalife

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its position in Herbalife by 150.0% in the 1st quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 1,900 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 1,140 shares in the last quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Herbalife during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $66,000. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. grew its stake in shares of Herbalife by 9.9% during the 2nd quarter. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. now owns 8,166 shares of the company’s stock worth $108,000 after acquiring an additional 736 shares in the last quarter. Point72 Middle East FZE bought a new position in Herbalife in the fourth quarter valued at $121,000. Finally, Advisor Group Holdings Inc. increased its stake in Herbalife by 50.0% in the 1st quarter. Advisor Group Holdings Inc. now owns 4,243 shares of the company’s stock valued at $128,000 after buying an additional 1,415 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.