Patrick McCormack’s Tiger Consumer Joins Team Icahn On Herbalife

Updated on

Herbalife

Patrick McCormack’s Tiger Consumer posted a return of 4.9 percent in last year, the firm manages $2.3 billion in assets. In 4Q2012, the fund lost 2.7 percent. These are dull returns but we have information that makes it more exciting.

Tiger Consumer has a long position in the notorious Herbalife Ltd. (NYSE:HLF). This news is especially a juicy bit of information when you put this in perspective with the public brawl witnessed between Carl Icahn and Bill Ackman just today, over Ackman’s public short position in Herbalife Ltd. (NYSE:HLF).

As of 3Q2012, McCormack owned 1,441,375 shares of HLF (3.35 percent of public long portfolio). Although we do not have the exact number, but McCormack increased the position at the end of Q4, the detraction in HLF caused the fund a loss of 1 percent in last quarter. He clearly does not believe in the Pyramid Scheme accusation hurled at the company by Bill Ackman.

With Tiger consumer placing hopeful bets on Herbalife, both the long/short side of the stock is gathering an army. So here is the breakup of who is on which side.

Team Ackman: David Einhorn, Jim Chanos,Whitney Tilson

Team Icahn: Dan Loeb, Patrick McCormack, Carl Icahn

David Einhorn may not have a short position in the stock now but he reportedly shorted the stock last year, made a profit and closed the position in Herbalife Ltd.  While Loeb’s position in HLF (8.2 percent of common stock) is most probably much larger than whatever Icahn holds (or did hold), but lately Carl Icahn’s aggressive comments directed at Bill Ackman imply that Icahn is taking the short bet too personally.

Meanwhile Herbalife Ltd. (NYSE:HLF) is enjoy all the attention that has been showered on it today. The stock rose more than 3.5 percent at the time of this writing. Ackman reiterated in his recent interview with CNBC that he thinks anything above $0 for HLF is overvalued.

Leave a Comment