Principal Financial Group Inc. Takes $1.81 Million Position in Herbalife Ltd $HLF

Principal Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Herbalife Ltd (NYSE:HLF) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 122,909 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,809,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Herbalife by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,577,634 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,231,000 after purchasing an additional 25,783 shares during the period. Quantedge Capital Pte Ltd raised its holdings in shares of Herbalife by 5.2% in the fourth quarter. Quantedge Capital Pte Ltd now owns 2,249,683 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,998,000 after buying an additional 111,700 shares during the last quarter. Solel Partners LP boosted its stake in shares of Herbalife by 18.7% during the second quarter. Solel Partners LP now owns 1,669,405 shares of the company’s stock worth $14,390,000 after buying an additional 262,614 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in shares of Herbalife by 3.8% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,451,749 shares of the company’s stock worth $18,713,000 after buying an additional 52,642 shares during the period. Finally, Manatuck Hill Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Herbalife by 122.2% during the third quarter. Manatuck Hill Partners LLC now owns 1,000,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,440,000 after buying an additional 550,000 shares during the period.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen cut Herbalife from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, July 18th. Weiss Ratings cut Herbalife from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Friday, July 24th. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their target price on Herbalife from $17.00 to $16.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 28th. Zacks Research lowered Herbalife from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, April 20th. Finally, Mizuho set a $17.00 price target on Herbalife in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $17.80.

Herbalife Stock Down 0.3%

Shares of NYSE:HLF opened at $12.47 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $1.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.47, a PEG ratio of 0.69 and a beta of 0.86. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $12.25 and its 200-day simple moving average is $14.66. Herbalife Ltd has a fifty-two week low of $7.56 and a fifty-two week high of $20.40.

Herbalife (NYSE:HLF) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.61 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $1.32 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.30 billion. Herbalife had a net margin of 4.67% and a negative return on equity of 41.47%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.59 earnings per share. On average, research analysts forecast that Herbalife Ltd will post 2.68 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Herbalife

In other news, insider Frank Lamberti sold 134,982 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $13.50, for a total value of $1,822,257.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 36,624 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $494,424. This trade represents a 78.66% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, COO Troy Hicks sold 38,377 shares of Herbalife stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $12.93, for a total value of $496,214.61. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 9,062 shares in the company, valued at approximately $117,171.66. This trade represents a 80.90% 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 in the last quarter. 5.13% of the stock is currently 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.