• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Gen Z fled San Francisco for Texas and Florida. Now they’re turning ‘welcomer cities’ into the next big tech towns

2

Melinda French Gates' advice to new IPO millionaires: 'Give half your money away'

3

Anthropic disables Fable and Mythos AI models after U.S. government bars it from giving foreigners access

1

Gen Z fled San Francisco for Texas and Florida. Now they’re turning ‘welcomer cities’ into the next big tech towns

2

Melinda French Gates' advice to new IPO millionaires: 'Give half your money away'

3

Anthropic disables Fable and Mythos AI models after U.S. government bars it from giving foreigners access
FinanceOprah Winfrey

Oprah’s Stake In Weight Watchers Is Still a Winner

By
Lucinda Shen
Lucinda Shen
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Lucinda Shen
Lucinda Shen
Down Arrow Button Icon
February 26, 2016, 3:53 PM ET
An Evening With Oprah - Melbourne
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - DECEMBER 02: Oprah Winfrey on stage during her An Evening With Oprah tour on December 2, 2015 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Scott Barbour/Getty Images)Scott Barbour Getty Images

Oprah Winfrey may have lost $42.7 million when Weight Watchers’ stock tanked Friday, but the TV show host’s investment is still knee-deep in the green.

Since Winfrey signed on last October as a brand representative for the next five years, she’s made $43.2 million on paper from her 10% stake in the company, even after the recent drop, essentially doubling her money since last October.

Weight Watchers (WTW) stock tanked 28% Friday following a dismal fourth-quarter report the day before that revealed a 21% decrease in year-over-year revenue. The stock closed at $15.55 Thursday and traded at $11.23 as of 3:17 p.m. Friday.

Winfrey spent roughly $43 million on Oct. 18 to buy 6.4 million common shares at $6.79. Her stake also came with 3.5 million options, or 5% of the company, exercisable at $6.97. Those options have been included in the calculation.

Not including options, Winfrey’s investment lost $27.7 million in value overnight, but, again, even after that drop, the shares have gained $28.3 million since she purchased the stock in October.

 

The question now is whether “Oprah power,” combined with companywide operational changes, can keep Weight Watchers’ shares afloat. After all, Winfrey has more than just her reputation staked on her investment.

According to Weight Watchers’ 8-K filing, Winfrey is contractually obligated to sit tight on those shares for at least two years, with very few exceptions. Even following the two-year period, she is only allowed to sell a limited portion of her stake in each succeeding year.

When Winfrey, whose net worth has been valued at $3 billion by Forbes, revealed her interest in the flailing dieting company last October, shares more than doubled in value. Just one tweet from Winfrey in January promoting Weight Watchers drove shares up by more than 20%.

About the Author
By Lucinda Shen
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Finance

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Finance

mid
Real EstateMidwest
The Sun Belt boom is over. Midwest real-estate investors say ‘I told you so’
By Ivan BarrattJune 14, 2026
2 hours ago
A 1% mistake costs $10 billion: Inside the impossible math of managing Elon Musk’s trillionaire SpaceX wealth
Personal FinanceElon Musk
A 1% mistake costs $10 billion: Inside the impossible math of managing Elon Musk’s trillionaire SpaceX wealth
By Sydney LakeJune 14, 2026
3 hours ago
Boomers actually do hold most of the wealth and power. So why do they call it ‘whiny’ to point that out?
Economybaby boomers
Boomers actually do hold most of the wealth and power. So why do they call it ‘whiny’ to point that out?
By Nick LichtenbergJune 14, 2026
3 hours ago
t
CommentaryTariffs
A quartz countertop tariff could double your kitchen renovation cost — and kill 13 jobs for every one it creates
By Steve SwedbergJune 14, 2026
5 hours ago
Pump pain, Wall Street gain: Iran war sends U.S. oil profits, stocks soaring as the big winners
Energycrude oil
Pump pain, Wall Street gain: Iran war sends U.S. oil profits, stocks soaring as the big winners
By Jordan BlumJune 14, 2026
5 hours ago
Middle-aged adults taking GLP-1s for obesity can save over $192K on lifetime medical costs, higher if they don’t have college degrees, new study finds
HealthHealth
Middle-aged adults taking GLP-1s for obesity can save over $192K on lifetime medical costs, higher if they don’t have college degrees, new study finds
By Mia OsmonbekovJune 14, 2026
6 hours ago

Most Popular

Gen Z fled San Francisco for Texas and Florida. Now they’re turning ‘welcomer cities’ into the next big tech towns
Real Estate
Gen Z fled San Francisco for Texas and Florida. Now they’re turning ‘welcomer cities’ into the next big tech towns
By Sydney LakeJune 13, 2026
1 day ago
Melinda French Gates' advice to new IPO millionaires: 'Give half your money away'
Startups & Venture
Melinda French Gates' advice to new IPO millionaires: 'Give half your money away'
By Emma HinchliffeJune 13, 2026
1 day ago
Anthropic disables Fable and Mythos AI models after U.S. government bars it from giving foreigners access
AI
Anthropic disables Fable and Mythos AI models after U.S. government bars it from giving foreigners access
By Jeremy KahnJune 13, 2026
1 day ago
SpaceX CFO Bret Johnsen quietly engineered its historic IPO and became an overnight billionaire
C-Suite
SpaceX CFO Bret Johnsen quietly engineered its historic IPO and became an overnight billionaire
By Sasha RogelbergJune 13, 2026
1 day ago
Trump expects to sign a deal with Iran on Sunday, but Tehran may want to avoid giving him a gift on his birthday
Middle East
Trump expects to sign a deal with Iran on Sunday, but Tehran may want to avoid giving him a gift on his birthday
By Jason MaJune 13, 2026
18 hours ago
'It's not a jailbreak' — Research leading to U.S. export restrictions on top Anthropic models was for defense, cybersecurity CEO says
AI
'It's not a jailbreak' — Research leading to U.S. export restrictions on top Anthropic models was for defense, cybersecurity CEO says
By Jason MaJune 13, 2026
21 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.