Herbalife, Facing Pyramid Scheme Accusations, Comes Up Short

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Embattled Los Angeles nutritional supplement company Herbalife posted earnings Monday that missed analysts’ estimates, thanks to changes in the value of Venezuelan currency and declining sales in the Americas.

The company reported net income of $11.2 million (13 cents a share) for the quarter ended Sept. 30, a 92 decrease from the same period a year earlier, when the company posted net income of $141.9 million ( $1.32 a share). The drop-off came despite an uptick in sales. Revenue rose 3.5 percent to $1.25 billion for the quarter.

The company’s numbers fell short of analysts’ expectations for both net income and revenue. Analysts believed earnings would be $1.53 on revenue of $1.32 billion. Herbalife pinned the poor results mostly on a reassessment of its Venezuelan assets. Venezuela is a big market for Herbalife.

Earnings were announced after markets closed Monday. Shares were down 11 percent, or $6.06, to $49.84 in after-hours trading.

It’s the latest bad news for Herbalife, which has been hurt by a nearly two-year assault by Pershing Square Capital Management’s Bill Ackman, who says the company’s business model illegally schemes its distributors out of profits.

Herbalife has repeatedly denied being a pyramid scheme, but the U.S. Federal Trade Commission is investigating the company’s practices, and the company recently paid $15 million to settle a class action lawsuit filed by a former distributor who echoed Ackman’s accusations.

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