Bronte Capital Management Pty Ltd. Lowers Holdings in Herbalife Ltd $HLF

Bronte Capital Management Pty Ltd. lowered its position in Herbalife Ltd (NYSE:HLF) by 38.9% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 1,358,989 shares of the company’s stock after selling 864,794 shares during the quarter. Herbalife comprises approximately 1.6% of Bronte Capital Management Pty Ltd.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th largest holding. Bronte Capital Management Pty Ltd.’s holdings in Herbalife were worth $11,470,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Fund 1 Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of Herbalife during the second quarter valued at $8,491,000. Manatuck Hill Partners LLC bought a new position in Herbalife during the 2nd quarter worth about $3,879,000. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. increased its position in Herbalife by 40.0% during the 2nd quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 1,013,505 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,736,000 after purchasing an additional 289,537 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp raised its holdings in shares of Herbalife by 63.9% in the 2nd quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 706,091 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,087,000 after purchasing an additional 275,322 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Solel Partners LP raised its holdings in shares of Herbalife by 18.7% in the 2nd quarter. Solel Partners LP now owns 1,669,405 shares of the company’s stock valued at $14,390,000 after purchasing an additional 262,614 shares in the last quarter.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently issued reports on HLF. Argus set a $15.00 price objective on shares of Herbalife in a report on Wednesday, November 26th. Maxim Group assumed coverage on Herbalife in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $20.00 price target for the company. Mizuho set a $13.00 price objective on Herbalife and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Wall Street Zen raised Herbalife from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 28th. Finally, Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $17.00 target price (up from $11.00) on shares of Herbalife in a report on Friday, December 12th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Herbalife presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $15.80.

Herbalife Stock Performance

Herbalife stock opened at $16.87 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $1.74 billion, a PE ratio of 5.39 and a beta of 0.84. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $14.63 and a two-hundred day moving average of $11.12. Herbalife Ltd has a one year low of $5.04 and a one year high of $17.93.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Lynda Cloud bought 17,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 18th. The shares were bought at an average price of $8.97 per share, with a total value of $152,490.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 38,857 shares in the company, valued at approximately $348,547.29. This trade represents a 77.78% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Over the last quarter, insiders have purchased 18,200 shares of company stock worth $167,938. 1.73% 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.