Hedge fund manager Bill Ackman has won a round in his 15-month fight against supplements and weight-loss products maker Herbalife. The direct seller’s shares tumbled Wednesday after Herbalife revealed that it is being investigated by the Federal Trade Commission for possible “deceptive practices.”
Since December 2012 Ackman has spent millions waging a public campaign against Herbalife and building up an army of lobbyists, community organizers and members of Congress to push regulators to investigate what he calls a “pyramid scheme,” that makes most of its money by recruiting new salespeople rather than on the products they sell. It is a charge that Herbalife has repeatedly denied.
Ackman, the head of Pershing Square Capital Management, holds a whopping $1 billion “short” position in Herbalife, meaning he’s bet that the company’s stock will drop and profits when it does. While short sellers are sometimes demonized for profiting at another’s financial pain, they can play an important role in discovering problems with companies.
So far Ackman’s campaign has had mixed success. The SEC began conducting its own investigation into Herbalife shortly after Ackman’s initial accusations, but so far it hasn’t led to any enforcement action. He sparred publicly with Carl Icahn, who owns 17 percent of Herbalife through his firm Icahn Associates, with Icahn calling Ackman a “crybaby” on television.
Icahn has defended Herbalife and increased his stake in the company in recent months to back up his comments. The stock, which was hit hard at the outset of Ackman’s crusade, more than recovered, doubling to an all-time high of $83.51 at the beginning of this year.
Herbalife, which is incorporated in the Cayman Islands and based in Los Angeles, uses a network of distributors to sell its nutritional supplements and weight-loss products. Other companies, such as Amway, cosmetics companies Avon and Mary Kay and kitchen products maker Tupperware, use a similar network of independent contractors who market merchandise through demonstrations and other personal contacts.
Many people looking for extra income are attracted to becoming direct sellers because there are no large upfront fees. Startup kits range from a few dollars to several hundred dollars, according to the website of the Direct Selling Association, a national trade group based in Washington. There were nearly 15.9 million people involved in direct selling in 2012, and their sales rose nearly 6 percent to $31.6 billion that year, the most recent data available from the trade group.
Guest
- Derek Thompson, senior editor for The Atlantic. He tweets @DKThomp.
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