Renaissance Technologies LLC Trims Holdings in Herbalife Ltd $HLF

Renaissance Technologies LLC lowered its holdings in shares of Herbalife Ltd (NYSE:HLF) by 2.1% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 5,499,968 shares of the company’s stock after selling 119,600 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC owned 5.31% of Herbalife worth $80,960,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of HLF. Manatuck Hill Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Herbalife by 122.2% in the third quarter. Manatuck Hill Partners LLC now owns 1,000,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,440,000 after buying an additional 550,000 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in shares of Herbalife by 29.3% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,877,717 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,638,000 after buying an additional 425,968 shares during the period. Johnson Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Herbalife by 1,156.1% during the fourth quarter. Johnson Financial Group LLC now owns 414,500 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,343,000 after buying an additional 381,500 shares during the last quarter. Invenomic Capital Management LP grew its holdings in shares of Herbalife by 82.6% during the fourth quarter. Invenomic Capital Management LP now owns 768,031 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,900,000 after buying an additional 347,401 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Herbalife by 60.5% during the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 763,857 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,447,000 after buying an additional 287,880 shares during the last quarter.

Herbalife Stock Up 0.8%

Shares of Herbalife stock opened at $11.89 on Friday. Herbalife Ltd has a 52-week low of $7.56 and a 52-week high of $20.40. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $12.26 and its 200-day simple moving average is $14.71. The firm has a market cap of $1.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.65 and a beta of 0.86.

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. Equities research analysts anticipate that Herbalife Ltd will post 2.68 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Herbalife

In other news, COO Troy Hicks sold 38,377 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $12.93, for a total transaction of $496,214.61. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 9,062 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $117,171.66. This represents a 80.90% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Frank Lamberti sold 134,982 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were 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 represents a 78.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 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.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

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.