Author Archives: Inelegant Investor
In discussing what became Tronc’s(TRNC) failed bid for Us Weekly, we mentioned that LA billionaire and Tronc Vice Chairman Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong was not being renominated to Tronc’s Board. At the time we speculated as to why this was and whether it signified a rift between former allies Soon-Shiong and Tronc Chairman Michael Ferro, Jr. Subsequent event have… Read More »
In the nine years after since a scuttled $6.4 billion acquisition by private equity firm Blackstone, Alliance Data Systems(ADS) has done well, with a current market capitalization of $13.5 billion. The company has attracted the interest of ValueAct Capital which has acquired a 10.5% stake. In an amended 13D filed with the SEC on Monday, ValueAct disclosed that… Read More »
Last month, we reported that Macy’s(M) outgoing CEO Terry Lundgren was working to head off a proxy fight with Jeff Smith’s Starboard Value. Lundgren was said to be looking to Hudson’s Bay Company(HBAYF) as a white knight under renewed pressure from Starboard to spin off or otherwise monetize its real estate. A month later, Hudson’s Bay is out… Read More »
There are worse names in the spinoff world, but Edgewell Personal Care(EPC) is a fairly bad one. Made worse, no doubt, by the company’s tortured explanation of its deep meaning. Edgewell, which owns such personal care brands as Schick, Skintimate, Hawaiian Tropic, and Playtex, spun off Energizer Holdings(ENR) in July 2015. Edgewell stock has underperformed since, recently down 20% from… Read More »
Quick updates on two situations we wrote about with a spin and its former parent. Last week we reported that Tronc(TRNC) was close to a deal to buy Us Weekly for over $100 million. Tronc, formerly Tribune Publishing, is a spinoff of Tribune Media(TRCO). This week, reports indicate that Tronc’s discussions with Wenner Media over Us Weekly have… Read More »
Citrix Systems(CTXS) stock rose 6.8% yesterday, almost all towards the end of trading, as rumors circulated that the company had hired Goldman Sachs to find a buyer. The Fort Lauderdale, Florida-based company hired Goldman Sachs Group Inc. to sound out buyers including private equity firms, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the information isn’t… Read More »
Last Friday we wrote about Tronc(TRNC), the company formerly known as Tribune Publishing. Catching up on our reading, we came across a bullish piece from last week’s Barron’s on Tronc’s former parent, Tribune Media(TRCO). Despite a 30% increase in the last month, in part on speculation of a sale of the company, Barron’s continues to see significant upside… Read More »
Somehow, we never got around to talking about one of the worst names for a spinoff that we can recall. Of course, we are talking about tronc(TRNC). Tribune Media(TRCO) spun it off as Tribune Publishing, but, after Michael Ferro took over, it changed its name to tronc, which sounds like the name of a reptilian villain that… Read More »
Time, Inc.(TIME) CEO Rich Battista has big plans for the transformation of the venerable magazine publisher, but it is doubtful that he will be given the time to execute on them. Battista became CEO late last year, replacing Joe Ripp, who had led the company since its 2014 spinoff from Time Warner(TWX). Rich Battista, the new chief executive… Read More »
Following its spin off from Biogen(BIIB) in January, Bioverativ(BIVV) had merely four Directors- CEO John Cox and three independent Directors. This represented an unusually small Board for a company with a market cap of over $5 billion, and it was probably inevitable that the Board would grow. Last week, Bioverativ added a fifth director, Anna Protopapas. Ms. Protopapas… Read More »
Judging by search queries and questions that we get, 18 months after JDSU’s spinoff of Lumentum(LITE) and simultaneous rebranding as Viavi Solutions(VIAV), there are still many shareholders wondering where the company went. The stock, then known as JDS Uniphase, was one of the highest of the high-flyers at the turn of the century, soaring past $1000 before cratering… Read More »
Even before Biogen(BIIB) completed its spinoff of Bioverativ(BIVV), ValueAct Capital began buying “when-issued” stock in the new company. The hedge fund has continued to buy both stock and forward contracts and has now accumulated a 7.1% position in Bioverativ. The shares were purchased at between $40 and $45 per share. As Bioverativ stock has now risen above $50,… Read More »
In April 2016, Community Health Systems(CYH) spun off Quorum Health Corp(QHC). Quorum borrowed $1.2 billion and paid it as a dividend to Community Health prior to the spinoff, a large sum considering Quorum’s current market cap of $245 million, down precipitously from its debut, but more than double its November lows. Reuters reports that hedge fund Q Investments… Read More »
Nelson Peltz is legendary for successfully pushing for structural change at large companies. This has often resulted in spinoffs of disparate divisions. Last week, Peltz’s investment vehicle, Trian Fund Management, disclosed a $3.5 billion stake in Procter & Gamble(PG). Peltz steps into the shoes of Bill Ackman, who several years ago took an activist position in P&G, only… Read More »
La Quinta Holdings(LQ) announced last month that it “is pursuing the separation of its businesses into two stand-alone publicly traded companies, which could involve spinning off our owned real estate assets as a separate company.” La Quinta further stated “There is no assurance that the separation of the Company’s business will occur. ” CEO Keith Cline waxed on… Read More »