Carl Icahn Reportedly Considered Sale Of Herbalife Stake To Rival Bill Ackman

Carl Icahn has been shopping around buyers for his stake in Herbalife Ltd. HLF, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal.

The Wall Street Journal, citing "people familiar with the matter," noted that Icahn's 18 percent stake in the company is worth more than $1 billion and bankers at Jefferies have been tasked with finding a buyer.

One of the potential buyers include none other than Icahn's arch-nemesis, Bill Ackman, whose hedge fund has been short Herbalife's stock since 2012 with a $1 billion wager the stock would collapse since the company is operating as an illegal pyramid scheme in his opinion.

Related Link: Bill Ackman: 'There Are No Incentives To Remain An Herbalife Distributor'

WSJ noted that the status of the talks, which could involve other investors, isn't clear. Ackman confirmed with CNBC he was indeed contacted by Jefferies to buy the shares Icahn is looking to sell.

Shares of Herbalife were trading lower by nearly 6 percent at $58.55 on Friday morning.

On Wednesday, rumors first started floating around that Icahn was selling his nearly $1 billion stake in the company. A source close to the situation told Benzinga at the time that Icahn was not selling his stake.

Ackman suggested in his comments on CNBC that Icahn is looking to sell his stake because he believes the stock will fall. Ackman also stated that if Icahn sells his stake, the whole company will blow up.