Carl Icahn broke his promise to never come back on CNBC and interview with Scott Wapner today. He sopke on CNBC about his newly disclosed position in Herbalife Ltd. (NYSE:HLF) which is worth 13 percent of the company’s outstanding shares.
During today’s interview, he repeatedly said that this was not personal and he took the position not just to make money but also because he thinks Herbalife Ltd. (NYSE:HLF) is a great example of multi-level marketing companies.
Icahn also said his dislike of Ackman is not a secret, everybody knows about it. He argued that Ackman’s short thesis on Herbalife Ltd. (NYSE:HLF) is amateurish and has no backing. He repeated his dislike of the way Ackman publicly shorted the stock and said that this was unfair to Herbalife shareholders.
Icahn also dropped a hint by saying that “My bet might be longer” while responding to Wapner’s question about his long bet in Herbalife. The way Icahn was piling up shares, options and contracts in HLF till he filed the 13D indicates there might be no stopping him for now.
Icahn also said that taking Herbalife private is also a worthy option; in fact it was the perfect option for this type of company.
Unlike the last time, Icahn kept his cool and said that Ackman had given him a great opportunity when he shorted Herbalife. This ties into what Ackman says everytime a new long position is disclosed in the stock, that he welcomes more attention on Herbalife and it helps his cause. Meanwhile investors of Herbalife Ltd. (NYSE:HLF) cannot make up their mind, the stock goes up as Icahn speaks and goes down when Ackman releases a statement.
The full interview is embedded below:
