Bronte Capital Management Pty Ltd. Reduces Holdings in Herbalife Ltd. (NYSE:HLF)

Bronte Capital Management Pty Ltd. reduced its stake in Herbalife Ltd. (NYSE:HLF) by 0.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 3,102,717 shares of the company’s stock after selling 18,750 shares during the period. Herbalife makes up about 4.5% of Bronte Capital Management Pty Ltd.’s holdings, making the stock its 8th largest holding. Bronte Capital Management Pty Ltd.’s holdings in Herbalife were worth $47,347,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. PEAK6 Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of Herbalife during the third quarter worth approximately $146,000. DGS Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Herbalife in the fourth quarter worth about $165,000. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new position in Herbalife in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $184,000. Corton Capital Inc. boosted its position in shares of Herbalife by 10.2% during the third quarter. Corton Capital Inc. now owns 17,849 shares of the company’s stock valued at $250,000 after buying an additional 1,654 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its holdings in shares of Herbalife by 35.5% during the 4th quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 22,584 shares of the company’s stock valued at $345,000 after acquiring an additional 5,922 shares during the last quarter.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have weighed in on HLF shares. Bank of America decreased their price target on shares of Herbalife from $10.00 to $8.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 21st. DA Davidson reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $9.50 price target on shares of Herbalife in a research report on Thursday, May 2nd. StockNews.com raised shares of Herbalife from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 16th. Finally, Mizuho cut their price objective on shares of Herbalife from $12.00 to $10.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Herbalife has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $10.50.

Herbalife Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:HLF traded up $0.27 during trading on Thursday, reaching $10.58. 1,829,043 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,237,349. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.72 and a beta of 1.24. Herbalife Ltd. has a 12 month low of $6.68 and a 12 month high of $19.48. The company has a 50 day moving average of $8.90 and a 200-day moving average of $11.45.

Herbalife (NYSE:HLF) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 1st. The company reported $0.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.37 by $0.12. The firm had revenue of $1.30 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.26 billion. Herbalife had a negative return on equity of 19.97% and a net margin of 2.70%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.54 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Herbalife Ltd. will post 1.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Herbalife

In related news, Director Juan Miguel Mendoza acquired 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 6th. The stock was bought at an average price of $9.67 per share, with a total value of $29,010.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 73,279 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $708,607.93. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, Director Rodica Macadrai bought 5,175 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 11th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $9.31 per share, with a total value of $48,179.25. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 12,716 shares in the company, valued at $118,385.96. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Juan Miguel Mendoza acquired 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 6th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $9.67 per share, with a total value of $29,010.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 73,279 shares in the company, valued at $708,607.93. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders acquired 118,757 shares of company stock valued at $1,041,788 over the last ninety days. 0.94% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Herbalife Company Profile

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.