Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2014

Accounting Policies [Abstract]

Basis of Presentation

Basis of Presentation

The unaudited condensed interim financial information of the Company has been prepared in accordance with Article 10 of the Securities and Exchange Commission’s, or the SEC, Regulation S-X. Accordingly, as permitted by Article 10 of the SEC’s Regulation S-X, it does not include all of the information required by generally accepted accounting principles in the U.S., or U.S. GAAP, for complete financial statements. The condensed consolidated balance sheet at December 31, 2013 was derived from the audited financial statements at that date and does not include all the disclosures required by U.S. GAAP, as permitted by Article 10 of the SEC’s Regulation S-X. The Company’s unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements as of September 30, 2014, and for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2014 and 2013, include Herbalife and all of its direct and indirect subsidiaries. In the opinion of management, the accompanying financial information contains all adjustments, consisting of normal recurring adjustments, necessary to present fairly the Company’s unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements as of September 30, 2014, and for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2014 and 2013. These unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2013, or the 2013 10-K. Operating results for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2014, are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the year ending December 31, 2014.

New Accounting Pronouncements

New Accounting Pronouncements

In April 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board, or FASB, issued Accounting Standards Update, or ASU, No. 2014-08, Presentation of Financial Statements (Topic 205) and Property, Plant, and Equipment (Topic 360): Reporting Discontinued Operations and Disclosures of Disposals of Components of an Entity. This ASU changes the threshold for a disposal to qualify as a discontinued operation. To be considered a discontinued operation a disposal now must represent a strategic shift that has or will have a major effect on an entity’s operations and financial results. This ASU also requires new disclosures for individually material disposal transactions that do not meet the definition of a discontinued operation. This update will be applied prospectively and is effective for annual periods, and interim periods within those years, beginning after December 15, 2014. Early adoption is permitted provided the disposal was not previously disclosed. The adoption of this guidance will not have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606). The new revenue recognition standard provides a five-step analysis of transactions to determine when and how revenue is recognized. The core principle is that a company should recognize revenue to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. This ASU is effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2016 and shall be applied either retrospectively to each period presented or as a cumulative-effect adjustment as of the date of adoption. The Company is evaluating the potential impact of this adoption on its consolidated financial statements.

In June 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-12, Compensation—Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Accounting for Share-Based Payments When the Terms of an Award Provide That a Performance Target Could Be Achieved after the Requisite Service Period (a consensus of the FASB Emerging Issues Task Force). This ASU clarifies that a performance target that affects vesting and that could be achieved after the requisite service period be treated as a performance condition. A reporting entity should apply existing guidance in Topic 718 as it relates to awards with performance conditions that affect vesting to account for such awards. As such, the performance target should not be reflected in estimating the grant-date fair value of the award. Compensation cost should be recognized in the period in which it becomes probable that the performance target will be achieved and should represent the compensation cost attributable to the period(s) for which the requisite service has already been rendered. This ASU is effective for annual periods, and interim periods within those years, beginning after December 15, 2015. Early adoption is permitted. This ASU may be applied either (a) prospectively to all awards granted or modified after the effective date or (b) retrospectively to all awards with performance targets that are outstanding as of the beginning of the earliest annual period presented in the financial statements and to all new or modified awards thereafter. The adoption of this guidance will not have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

In August 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-15, Presentation of Financial Statements — Going Concern (Subtopic 205-40). The purpose of this ASU is to incorporate into U.S. GAAP management’s responsibility to evaluate whether there is substantial doubt about an entity’s ability to continue as a going concern within one year after the date that the financial statements are issued (or within one year after the date that the financial statements are available to be issued when applicable), and to provide related footnote disclosures. This update is effective for the annual period ending after December 15, 2016, and for annual periods and interim periods thereafter. Early application is permitted. The adoption of this guidance will not have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

Reclassifications

Reclassifications

Certain reclassifications were made to the prior period statement of cash flows, within cash flows from operating activities, to conform to current period presentation. These reclassifications did not impact the prior period total net cash provided by (used in) operating activities, investing activities and financing activities, nor did it impact the Company’s accompanying condensed consolidated balance sheets and related condensed consolidated statements of income and comprehensive income.

Venezuela

Venezuela

Herbalife Venezuela, the Company’s Venezuelan subsidiary, currently imports its products into Venezuela. Foreign exchange controls in that country limit Herbalife Venezuela’s ability to repatriate earnings and settle its intercompany obligations at any official rate. As a result, the Company’s Bolivar-denominated cash and cash equivalents have accumulated, increasing the potential impact of any currency devaluation. The current operating environment in Venezuela also continues to be challenging for the Company’s Venezuela business, with high inflation, price controls, and the risk that the government will further devalue the Bolivar.

In February 2013, the Venezuela government announced that it had devalued the Bolivar and eliminated the SITME regulated foreign exchange system. The SITME rate of 5.3 Bolivars per U.S. dollar was eliminated and the alternative CADIVI rate was devalued from 4.3 to 6.3 Bolivars per U.S. dollar. The Company recognized approximately $15.1 million of net foreign exchange losses within its condensed consolidated statement of income for the nine months ended September 30, 2013 as a result of remeasuring its Bolivar denominated monetary assets and liabilities at the CADIVI rate of 6.3 Bolivars per U.S. dollar.

In March 2013, the Venezuelan government also announced the introduction of an additional exchange mechanism, or SICAD I. During the fourth quarter of 2013, the Company received an approval through the SICAD I mechanism to exchange approximately 6.8 million Bolivars, or approximately $1.1 million U.S. dollars remeasured using the CADIVI rate, for a distribution of approximately $0.6 million in U.S. dollars, resulting in a foreign exchange loss of approximately $0.5 million, or an effective exchange rate of 11.3 Bolivars per U.S. dollar.

During the first quarter of 2014, the Venezuelan government announced the establishment of CENCOEX, which replaced the previous foreign exchange commission, CADIVI. Also, during the first quarter of 2014, the government announced that additional activities, such as the processing of dividend payments, which were previously administered by CADIVI, were now required to be processed at the SICAD I rate. During March 2014, the government introduced an additional exchange mechanism known as SICAD II. During March 2014, the Company submitted a SICAD II bid to exchange its 5.3 million Bolivars for $0.1 million U.S. dollars which was approved and resulted in the Company recognizing a $0.7 million U.S. dollar foreign exchange loss at an effective exchange rate of approximately 56.2 Bolivars per U.S. dollar. As of March 31, 2014, there was limited information published around the SICAD II mechanism, and it was difficult to determine how the mechanism functioned and if the mechanism had any volume constraints.

Based on the events above and the Company’s facts and circumstances at that time, the Company remeasured its financial statements at the SICAD I rate of 10.7 Bolivars per U.S. dollar at March 31, 2014. As a result of using the less favorable SICAD I rate for remeasurement, during the three months ended March 31, 2014 the Company’s cash and cash equivalents were reduced by approximately $96.0 million, and the Company recognized $86.1 million of foreign exchange losses in selling, general & administrative expenses within its condensed consolidated statement of income.

During the second and third quarters of 2014, the Company did not receive any approvals for U.S. dollars using the SICAD I and SICAD II mechanisms. The Company recognized $0.2 million and $17.1 million in foreign exchange losses relating to unfavorable changes in the SICAD I rate during the three months ended June 30, 2014 and the three months ended September 30, 2014, respectively.

In October 2014, the Company received an approval to exchange Bolivars for a small amount of U.S. dollars at the SICAD II rate, and in future periods the Company intends to continue applying for U.S. dollars using the SICAD II mechanism on a regular basis. Conversely, the Company’s ability to convert its Bolivars to U.S. dollars at the SICAD I rate has not improved in recent periods nor is the Company confident that it will improve in future periods. Furthermore, Herbalife Venezuela formally initiated local manufacturing efforts, including the execution of a local manufacturing agreement in October 2014 that should, over time, reduce the Company’s U.S. dollar-denominated product importations and increase its Bolivar-denominated purchases from local Venezuela manufacturers. This expected decrease in future U.S. dollar importations will further reduce the Company’s future potential eligibility to access the SICAD I mechanism. Accordingly, at September 30, 2014, the Company remeasured its financial statements at the SICAD II rate of 50.0 Bolivars per U.S. dollar and recognized $98.0 million in additional foreign exchange losses. As a result of using the less favorable SICAD II rate, the Company’s cash and cash equivalents on its condensed consolidated balance sheet were reduced by approximately $102.5 million and the Company recognized $7.6 million of inventory write downs in cost of sales and $7.0 million of long lived asset impairments in selling, general & administrative expenses within its condensed consolidated statement of income during the current period.

Due to the evolving foreign exchange control environment in Venezuela, it is possible that the Company’s ability to access certain foreign exchange mechanisms, including the SICAD I and SICAD II exchange mechanisms, could change in future periods which may have an impact on the rate the Company uses to remeasure Herbalife Venezuela’s Bolivar-denominated assets and liabilities. Since the Company is using the unfavorable SICAD II rate for remeasurement purposes, any future U.S. dollars obtained through the SICAD I mechanism could have a positive impact on the Company’s consolidated net earnings. In addition, devaluations of the SICAD II rate, or U.S. dollars obtained through less favorable alternative legal exchange mechanisms, could have a negative impact on the Company’s consolidated net earnings. The Company is closely monitoring the SICAD I and SICAD II exchange mechanisms as they continue to evolve.

As of September 30, 2014, the Company’s net monetary assets and liabilities denominated in Bolivars were approximately $31.4 million, and included approximately $32.4 million in Bolivar-denominated cash and cash equivalents. These Bolivar-denominated assets and liabilities were remeasured at the SICAD II rate. These remeasured amounts, including cash and cash equivalents, being reported on the Company’s condensed consolidated balance sheet using the published SICAD II rate may not accurately represent the amount of U.S. dollars that the Company will ultimately realize. Herbalife Venezuela’s net sales represented approximately 3% and 5% of the Company’s consolidated net sales for the nine months ended September 30, 2014 and 2013, respectively, and its total assets represented approximately 2% and 10% of the Company’s consolidated total assets as of September 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively. As of September 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013, the majority of Herbalife Venezuela’s total assets consisted of Bolivar-denominated cash and cash equivalents.

Investments in Bolivar-Denominated Bonds

Investments in Bolivar-Denominated Bonds

During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2014, the Company invested in additional Bolivar denominated bonds with a purchase price of 48.0 million and 113.4 million Bolivars, respectively, or approximately $4.2 million and $11.8 million, respectively, using the applicable Bolivar to U.S. dollar exchange rates when the bonds were purchased. The Company classifies these bonds as long-term available-for-sale investments which are carried at fair value, inclusive of unrealized gains and losses, and net of discount accretion and premium amortization. The fair value of these bonds is determined using Level 2 inputs which include prices of similar assets traded in active markets in Venezuela and observable yield curves. Net unrealized gains and losses on these bonds are included in other comprehensive income (loss) and are net of applicable income taxes. During the three months and nine months ended September 30, 2014, the Company did not sell any of its bonds.

The Company evaluates securities for other-than-temporary impairment on a quarterly basis. The impairment evaluation considers numerous factors, and their relative significance varies depending on the situation. Factors considered include the length of time and extent to which the market value has been less than cost; the financial condition and near-term prospects of the issuer of the securities; when applicable, the foreign exchange rates that are available to the Company; and the intent and ability of the Company to retain the security in order to allow for an anticipated recovery in fair value. If, based upon the analysis, it is determined that the impairment is other-than-temporary, the security is written-down to fair value, and a loss is recognized in other expense, net in the Company’s condensed consolidated income statement. Other-than-temporary impairments relating to available-for-sale securities for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2014 was $9.8 million and $13.0 million, respectively, which were primarily due to unfavorable foreign exchange rates.

See the Company’s 2013 10-K for further information on Herbalife Venezuela and Venezuela’s highly inflationary economy.

Segment Reporting

The Company is a nutrition company that sells a wide range of weight management products, nutritional supplements, energy, sports & fitness products and personal care products. The Company’s products are manufactured by third party providers and by the Company in its Changsha, Hunan, China extraction facility, Suzhou, China facility, Lake Forest, California facility, and in its Winston-Salem, North Carolina facility, and then are sold to Members who consume and sell Herbalife products to retail consumers or other Members. Revenues reflect sales of products by the Company to its Members and are categorized based on geographic location.

As of September 30, 2014, the Company sold products in 91 countries throughout the world and was organized and managed by geographic regions. The Company aggregates its operating segments, excluding China, into one reporting segment, or the Primary Reporting Segment, as management believes that the Company’s operating segments have similar operating characteristics and similar long term operating performance. In making this determination, management believes that the operating segments are similar in the nature of the products sold, the product acquisition process, the types of customers to whom products are sold, the methods used to distribute the products, the nature of the regulatory environment, and their economic characteristics. China has been identified as a separate reporting segment as it does not meet the criteria for aggregation.

Derivatives and Hedging Policies

Interest Rate Risk Management

The Company previously engaged in an interest rate hedging strategy for which the hedged transactions were the forecasted interest payments on the Credit Facility. The hedged risk was the variability of forecasted interest rate cash flows, where the hedging strategy involved the purchase of interest rate swaps. These interest rate swaps expired in July 2013 and the Company has not entered into new interest swap arrangements as of September 30, 2014.

Foreign Currency Instruments

The Company also designates certain foreign currency derivatives, primarily comprised of foreign currency forward contracts, as freestanding derivatives for which hedge accounting does not apply. The changes in the fair market value of these freestanding derivatives are included in selling, general and administrative expenses in the Company’s condensed consolidated statements of income. The Company uses freestanding foreign currency derivatives to hedge foreign-currency-denominated intercompany transactions and to partially mitigate the impact of foreign currency fluctuations. The fair value of the freestanding foreign currency derivatives is based on third-party quotes. The Company’s foreign currency derivative contracts are generally executed on a monthly basis.

The Company designates as cash-flow hedges those foreign currency forward contracts it enters into to hedge forecasted inventory purchases and intercompany management fees that are subject to foreign currency exposures. Forward contracts are used to hedge forecasted inventory purchases over specific months. Changes in the fair value of these forward contracts, excluding forward points, designated as cash-flow hedges are recorded as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) within shareholders’ (deficit) equity, and are recognized in cost of sales in the condensed consolidated statement of income during the period which approximates the time the hedged inventory is sold. The Company also hedges forecasted intercompany management fees over specific months. These contracts allow the Company to sell Euros in exchange for U.S. dollars at specified contract rates. Changes in the fair value of these forward contracts designated as cash flow hedges are recorded as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) within shareholders’ (deficit) equity, and are recognized in selling, general and administrative expenses in the condensed consolidated statement of income during the period when the hedged item and underlying transaction affect earnings.

Fair Value Measurement

The Company applies the provisions of the FASB Accounting Standards Codification, or ASC, Topic 820, Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures, or ASC 820, for its financial and non-financial assets and liabilities. ASC 820 defines fair value as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. ASC 820 establishes a fair value hierarchy, which prioritizes the inputs used in measuring fair value into three broad levels as follows:

Level 1 inputs are quoted prices (unadjusted) in active markets for identical assets or liabilities that the reporting entity has the ability to access at the measurement date.

Level 2 inputs include quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities in active markets, quoted prices for identical or similar assets or liabilities in markets that are not active, inputs other than quoted prices that are observable for the asset or liability and inputs that are derived principally from or corroborated by observable market data by correlation or other means.

Level 3 inputs are unobservable inputs for the asset or liability.

The Company measures certain assets and liabilities at fair value as discussed throughout the notes to its consolidated financial statements. Foreign exchange currency contracts are valued using standard calculations and models primarily based on inputs such as observable forward rates, spot rates and foreign currency exchange rates at the reporting period ended date.