Baupost Group LLC MA Decreases Position in Herbalife Ltd $HLF

Baupost Group LLC MA lessened its holdings in shares of Herbalife Ltd (NYSE:HLF) by 62.8% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 9,259,844 shares of the company’s stock after selling 15,629,000 shares during the quarter. Herbalife comprises approximately 2.3% of Baupost Group LLC MA’s portfolio, making the stock its 16th biggest position. Baupost Group LLC MA owned approximately 0.09% of Herbalife worth $119,359,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in HLF. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Herbalife by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,577,634 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,231,000 after acquiring an additional 25,783 shares during the last quarter. Solel Partners LP raised its stake in Herbalife by 18.7% in the 2nd quarter. Solel Partners LP now owns 1,669,405 shares of the company’s stock worth $14,390,000 after acquiring an additional 262,614 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in Herbalife by 3.8% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,451,749 shares of the company’s stock worth $18,713,000 after acquiring an additional 52,642 shares during the last quarter. Manatuck Hill Partners LLC raised its stake in Herbalife by 122.2% in the 3rd quarter. Manatuck Hill Partners LLC now owns 1,000,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,440,000 after acquiring an additional 550,000 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. raised its stake in Herbalife by 60.5% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 763,857 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,447,000 after acquiring an additional 287,880 shares during the last quarter.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

HLF has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded Herbalife from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, April 18th. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their target price on Herbalife from $17.00 to $16.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 28th. Citigroup restated a “buy” rating and issued a $21.00 target price (up from $17.00) on shares of Herbalife in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. Zacks Research lowered Herbalife from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Finally, Mizuho set a $17.00 target price on Herbalife in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $17.80.

Herbalife Stock Performance

Shares of HLF opened at $12.11 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $13.99 and its two-hundred day moving average is $14.87. The company has a market capitalization of $1.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 5.31, a P/E/G ratio of 0.72 and a beta of 0.88. Herbalife Ltd has a fifty-two week low of $7.56 and a fifty-two week high of $20.40.

Herbalife (NYSE:HLF) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.61 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $1.32 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.30 billion. Herbalife had a negative return on equity of 41.47% and a net margin of 4.67%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.59 EPS. Analysts forecast that Herbalife Ltd will post 2.47 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other Herbalife news, insider Frank Lamberti sold 134,982 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $13.50, for a total transaction of $1,822,257.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 36,624 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $494,424. This trade represents a 78.66% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, COO Troy Hicks sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $12.32, for a total value of $123,200.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 9,706 shares in the company, valued at $119,577.92. This represents a 50.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 191,296 shares of company stock worth $2,551,678 over the last ninety days. 5.13% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.