Vitamin Shoppe Inc. Spikes: Activists Reportedly Want Sale

Vitamin Shoppe Inc.

shares jumped on a rumor that activist shareholders are urging a sale of the specialty retailer and direct marketer of dietary supplements. The "handful of large shareholders" want Vitamin Shoppe to consider selling to a private equity firm or to GNC Holdings Inc.

, according to unnamed sources cited by Reuters Thursday. GNC's $3.6 billion market capitalization is more than twice that of Vitamin Shoppe. North Bergen, New Jersey-based Vitamin Shoppe has seen its shares fall more than 16 percent in the year to date. Revenue in the recent quarter grew 9 percent on same-store sales growth of more than 5 percent, and Chief Executive Anthony N. Truesdale said last week he will retire in June 2015. Vitamin Shoppe's five largest shareholders include Eagle Asset Management with a 13.29 percent stake; BlackRock Inc with 8.5 percent, Vanguard Group with 6.1 percent and Kornitzer Capital and Citadel Advisers with about 5 percent each. Vitamin Shoppe traded recently at $45.06 a share, up nearly 4 percent.