Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund Sells 775,300 Shares of Herbalife Ltd. (NYSE:HLF)

Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund trimmed its position in shares of Herbalife Ltd. (NYSE:HLF) by 49.6% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 787,100 shares of the company’s stock after selling 775,300 shares during the period. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund owned about 0.79% of Herbalife worth $7,910,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HLF. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Herbalife by 164.8% in the 4th quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 1,288,198 shares of the company’s stock worth $19,658,000 after purchasing an additional 801,644 shares during the period. Iridian Asset Management LLC CT lifted its position in shares of Herbalife by 49.1% in the 4th quarter. Iridian Asset Management LLC CT now owns 1,468,636 shares of the company’s stock worth $22,411,000 after purchasing an additional 483,635 shares during the period. Perpetual Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Herbalife in the 1st quarter worth approximately $4,013,000. Armistice Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Herbalife in the 4th quarter worth approximately $5,799,000. Finally, GSA Capital Partners LLP lifted its position in Herbalife by 523.6% during the fourth quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP now owns 177,281 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,705,000 after acquiring an additional 148,851 shares during the last quarter.

Herbalife Stock Up 2.6 %

Shares of NYSE:HLF traded up $0.30 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $11.98. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 671,557 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,203,532. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.20 billion, a PE ratio of 8.53 and a beta of 1.25. Herbalife Ltd. has a twelve month low of $6.68 and a twelve month high of $19.48. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $11.01 and a 200 day moving average of $10.37.

Herbalife (NYSE:HLF) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 1st. The company reported $0.49 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.37 by $0.12. The firm had revenue of $1.30 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.26 billion. Herbalife had a net margin of 2.70% and a negative return on equity of 19.97%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 3.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.54 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Herbalife Ltd. will post 1.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

HLF has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Mizuho increased their target price on shares of Herbalife from $10.00 to $11.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, June 7th. DA Davidson reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $9.50 target price on shares of Herbalife in a research report on Thursday, May 2nd. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of Herbalife from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, July 19th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and five have issued a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $10.70.

Insider Activity at Herbalife

In other news, Director Juan Miguel Mendoza purchased 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 6th. The shares were bought at an average price of $9.67 per share, for a total transaction 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 purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, Director Donal L. Mulligan acquired 30,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 3rd. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $9.65 per share, with a total value of $289,500.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 60,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $579,000. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Juan Miguel Mendoza acquired 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, May 6th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $9.67 per share, for a total transaction of $29,010.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 73,279 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $708,607.93. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have bought 42,500 shares of company stock worth $418,485. 0.94% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Herbalife 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.