Icahn to Sell Quarter of His Stake in Herbalife in Re-Balancing
Icahn to Sell Quarter of His Stake in Herbalife in Re-Balancing
(Bloomberg) -- Herbalife Nutrition Ltd. plunged in early trading after Carl Icahn, the nutritional supplements maker’s biggest cheerleader, said he’s selling about a quarter of his shares.
Herbalife fell 6 percent to $50.46 Friday morning after the billionaire investor said he will sell 11.4 million of his current 45.7 million shares in the company. He would remain its largest holder if all the shares in the offer were taken up, he noted in a regulatory filing Friday.
"For almost six years, we have been one of Herbalife’s strongest, most loyal supporters; we stood by the company through a half-decade long short-selling campaign; and we never sold a share, even after our investment doubled," he said in a statement.
Since taking his position in Herbalife in 2012 more than $7 billion has been created for shareholders, he said. But his holdings have become out sized in his own Icahn Enterprises porfolio, accounting for 24 percent of its net asset value. It was only prudent to sell off part of his holdings, he said.
Icahn has been a public supporter of Herbalife as it battled short-seller Bill Ackman, who claimed it was a pyramid scheme. After several twists and turns, including a settlement with federal regulators, the company announced last year it was taking out a loan to buy back $600 million of its shares through a tender offer. That’s the vehicle Icahn used to reduce his stake.
Ackman, meanwhile, admitted defeat in the fight earlier this year and sold off his position in the company.
Icahn said he continues to be supportive of Herbalife.
"We believe Herbalife’s business is stable, the short-sellers have largely exited, and the company is well-positioned for the future," he said Friday.
--With assistance from Matt Townsend.
To contact the reporter on this story: Scott Deveau in New York at sdeveau2@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Elizabeth Fournier at efournier5@bloomberg.net, Matthew Monks, Anne Riley Moffat
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