Citi cuts Herbalife stock price target to $11, maintains Buy rating

Published 01/05/2025, 10:40
Citi cuts Herbalife stock price target to $11, maintains Buy rating

On Thursday, Citi analyst Chasen Bender adjusted the price target for Herbalife (NYSE:HLF) shares, reducing it to $11 from the previous target of $13, while still maintaining a Buy rating on the company’s stock. Currently trading at $7.20, the stock appears undervalued according to InvestingPro analysis, with a notably low P/E ratio of 2.85x. The adjustment follows Herbalife’s first-quarter earnings report for 2025, which revealed mixed financial results, including an earnings beat but a miss on constant currency sales.

Herbalife reported earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) and earnings per share (EPS) that exceeded expectations, despite sales falling short when adjusted for constant currency. The company’s last twelve months EBITDA stands at $589.7 million, with InvestingPro data showing a strong financial health score and robust free cash flow yield. The company also revised its 2025 constant currency (CC) sales guidance to a range of 0.5% to 5.5% growth and increased its EBITDA forecast to $625 million to $655 million.

The company’s new distributor growth remained robust, showing a 16% year-over-year increase. However, there was a notable downturn in North America, which raised concerns about the timing of a sales turnaround in the US market. Despite these challenges, Herbalife’s management expressed confidence in achieving the updated sales guidance, citing consistent growth in new distributor numbers over the past four quarters.

Bender highlighted that while there are cost pressures associated with the launch of Pro2col, a new product, these may be balanced by additional savings in technology and administrative expenses. The analyst also pointed to Herbalife’s ongoing efforts to reduce its debt levels, which have reached approximately 3 times leverage, with the potential for accelerated debt and interest cost reductions in 2026. The company’s current total debt stands at $2.47 billion, with a debt-to-capital ratio of 0.77, according to InvestingPro data, which offers comprehensive analysis of over 1,400 US stocks through its Pro Research Reports.

The report concludes with a reiteration of the Buy rating for Herbalife stock, despite the lowered price target, reflecting a positive outlook on the company’s financial strategies and distributor dynamics.

In other recent news, Herbalife Nutrition Ltd reported its first-quarter 2025 earnings, with earnings per share (EPS) of $0.59, significantly exceeding the forecast of $0.40. The company reported revenue of $1.22 billion, slightly below the expected $1.23 billion. Despite the revenue miss, the company’s adjusted EBITDA grew by 19% year-over-year, reflecting improved operational efficiency. Herbalife has recently completed acquisitions of Protocol Health, Pruvit Ventures, and Link Biosciences, which are expected to enhance its product offerings and technological capabilities. These strategic moves align with the company’s vision of becoming a leading health and wellness platform. Meanwhile, analysts from Citi have shown interest in the company’s monetization strategy for the Protocol platform, indicating potential growth opportunities. The company’s full-year guidance projects net sales to range from a 2.5% decline to a 2.5% increase, with adjusted EBITDA anticipated between $625 million and $655 million. Herbalife’s strategic focus includes technology and personalization, aiming to drive future growth.

This article was generated with the support of AI and reviewed by an editor. For more information see our T&C.

Latest comments

Risk Disclosure: Trading in financial instruments and/or cryptocurrencies involves high risks including the risk of losing some, or all, of your investment amount, and may not be suitable for all investors. Prices of cryptocurrencies are extremely volatile and may be affected by external factors such as financial, regulatory or political events. Trading on margin increases the financial risks.
Before deciding to trade in financial instrument or cryptocurrencies you should be fully informed of the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite, and seek professional advice where needed.
Fusion Media would like to remind you that the data contained in this website is not necessarily real-time nor accurate. The data and prices on the website are not necessarily provided by any market or exchange, but may be provided by market makers, and so prices may not be accurate and may differ from the actual price at any given market, meaning prices are indicative and not appropriate for trading purposes. Fusion Media and any provider of the data contained in this website will not accept liability for any loss or damage as a result of your trading, or your reliance on the information contained within this website.
It is prohibited to use, store, reproduce, display, modify, transmit or distribute the data contained in this website without the explicit prior written permission of Fusion Media and/or the data provider. All intellectual property rights are reserved by the providers and/or the exchange providing the data contained in this website.
Fusion Media may be compensated by the advertisers that appear on the website, based on your interaction with the advertisements or advertisers
© 2007-2025 - Fusion Media Limited. All Rights Reserved.