Oprah Winfrey has shed 30 pounds over the past year using Weight Watchers — and at the same time has fattened up the company’s shares.
Winfrey, famous in the past for her yo-yoing weight, has spurred legions of dieters to join Weight Watchers — so much so that the company said it posted year-over-year recruitment gains for three straight quarters, or ever since Winfrey came aboard.
The former TV talk show host has also updated fans on her weight loss via Twitter.
Weight Watchers’ shares, which fell 7.5 percent in after-hours trading, to $10.54, after the company missed revenue forecasts, are up 54 percent since Oct. 16, the day before Winfrey announced her purchase of a 10 percent stake in the company.
The shares are down 62 percent from their post-Winfrey high, however.
On Thursday, the company reported second-quarter profits grew 9.4 percent, to $30.5 million, or 46 cents per share, matching Wall Street expectations.
However, revenue finished the period flat, at $309.8 million — missing forecasts.
Management blamed a blip in its growth on an ill-structured ad campaign and weak interest abroad.
Winfrey has lost 30 pounds from Aug. 12, when she told People magazine she started the diet, to June, when she tweeted her dieting success.
“The best is yet to come with our partnership with Oprah,” Weight Watchers Chief Executive Jim Chambers said.
Winfrey is being dispatched to member meetings. In April in New York, she and pal Gayle King arrived at one unannounced. A live Facebook stream captured the moment. The video on Facebook got 2 million hits.