Herbalife Ltd. (NYSE:HLF) Short Interest Update

Herbalife Ltd. (NYSE:HLF) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest during the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 13,560,000 shares, an increase of 26.0% from the December 15th total of 10,760,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 2,380,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 5.7 days. Currently, 13.9% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Herbalife Stock Performance

Herbalife stock traded up $0.07 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $6.57. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,045,510 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,204,483. Herbalife has a fifty-two week low of $6.05 and a fifty-two week high of $12.95. The firm has a market capitalization of $661.69 million, a PE ratio of 7.72, a P/E/G ratio of 0.22 and a beta of 1.18. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $7.32 and its 200 day simple moving average is $8.13.

Herbalife (NYSE:HLF) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The company reported $0.57 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.19 by $0.38. Herbalife had a net margin of 1.73% and a negative return on equity of 18.66%. The firm had revenue of $1.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.23 billion. Equities analysts predict that Herbalife will post 1.51 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on HLF shares. Mizuho boosted their target price on Herbalife from $8.00 to $9.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. DA Davidson dropped their price objective on shares of Herbalife from $13.00 to $7.50 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Herbalife from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Citigroup lowered their target price on shares of Herbalife from $16.00 to $13.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, B. Riley cut their price target on shares of Herbalife from $17.00 to $12.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 31st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $9.90.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Herbalife

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Rhumbline Advisers raised its holdings in Herbalife by 1.3% during the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 149,057 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,549,000 after purchasing an additional 1,953 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its stake in shares of Herbalife by 3.5% during the 2nd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 41,678 shares of the company’s stock worth $433,000 after buying an additional 1,399 shares during the last quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV acquired a new position in shares of Herbalife during the 2nd quarter worth $447,000. Seven Eight Capital LP purchased a new stake in shares of Herbalife in the 2nd quarter worth about $1,055,000. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board grew its stake in Herbalife by 8.7% in the 2nd quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 81,200 shares of the company’s stock valued at $844,000 after acquiring an additional 6,500 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.