Herbalife (NYSE:HLF) Shares Up 8.5% – Time to Buy?

Herbalife Ltd (NYSE:HLF)’s stock price shot up 8.5% on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $14.05 and last traded at $14.0120. 306,584 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 66% from the average session volume of 905,740 shares. The stock had previously closed at $12.91.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on HLF. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Herbalife in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Mizuho lifted their price target on shares of Herbalife from $10.00 to $11.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 26th. Maxim Group assumed coverage on shares of Herbalife in a report on Tuesday. They set a “buy” rating and a $20.00 price objective for the company. Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $17.00 target price (up from $11.00) on shares of Herbalife in a research note on Friday, December 12th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Herbalife from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 28th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $15.40.

Herbalife Price Performance

The stock has a market cap of $1.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.82. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $11.58 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $10.04.

Herbalife (NYSE:HLF) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 5th. The company reported $0.50 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.46 by $0.04. Herbalife had a net margin of 6.47% and a negative return on equity of 29.84%. The company had revenue of $1.27 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.27 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.57 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that Herbalife Ltd will post 1.57 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Lynda Cloud acquired 17,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 18th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $8.97 per share, for a total transaction of $152,490.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 38,857 shares in the company, valued at approximately $348,547.29. This trade represents a 77.78% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Insiders purchased 18,200 shares of company stock worth $167,938 over the last 90 days. 1.73% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Herbalife by 1.1% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,810,794 shares of the company’s stock valued at $24,231,000 after purchasing an additional 31,077 shares in the last quarter. Iridian Asset Management LLC CT grew its stake in Herbalife by 9.9% during the third quarter. Iridian Asset Management LLC CT now owns 2,449,155 shares of the company’s stock worth $20,671,000 after buying an additional 220,896 shares during the last quarter. Solel Partners LP increased its holdings 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 in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of Herbalife by 3.4% during the third quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,399,107 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,809,000 after buying an additional 45,884 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Herbalife by 40.0% in the second quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 1,013,505 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,736,000 after acquiring an additional 289,537 shares during the last quarter.

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.