Herbalife (NYSE:HLF) Shares Gap Up – Still a Buy?

Herbalife Ltd. (NYSE:HLF)’s stock price gapped up prior to trading on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $5.22, but opened at $5.50. Herbalife shares last traded at $5.78, with a volume of 571,821 shares changing hands.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Herbalife Trading Up 7.0 %

The company has a 50-day moving average of $6.39 and a 200-day moving average of $7.35. The firm has a market capitalization of $563.11 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.18 and a beta of 1.15.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC lifted its holdings in Herbalife by 3.8% in the fourth quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 44,790 shares of the company’s stock worth $300,000 after acquiring an additional 1,636 shares during the last quarter. Swiss National Bank boosted its position in Herbalife by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 198,172 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,326,000 after purchasing an additional 3,100 shares during the period. Cinctive Capital Management LP boosted its position in Herbalife by 3.6% during the 3rd quarter. Cinctive Capital Management LP now owns 92,138 shares of the company’s stock valued at $662,000 after purchasing an additional 3,170 shares during the period. Inspire Investing LLC grew its stake in Herbalife by 6.1% during the 4th quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 59,879 shares of the company’s stock worth $401,000 after buying an additional 3,458 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quadrant Capital Group LLC increased its position in Herbalife by 641.5% in the fourth quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 4,293 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 3,714 shares during the period.

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.