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☆ Activist Ancora wins three board seats at Norfolk Southern but falls short of ousting CEO
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Rohan Goswami | In Rohangoswamicnbc | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Norfolk Southern shareholders on Thursday voted to elect three of dissident Ancora's director nominees but fell short of ousting incumbent CEO Alan Shaw. Norfolk Southern's board had fought hard to stave off Ancora's biggest demand: firing current CEO Alan Shaw. The activist had argued that Norfolk Southern should adopt a model known as precision-scheduled railroading, or PSR, which has delivered impressive shareholder returns at other railroads. Government officials, who had previously voiced their support for Norfolk over Ancora, were momentarily silenced by the reversal. ISS recommended that shareholders support five of Ancora's seven picks but did not recommend electing Ancora CEO pick Jim Barber to the board.

Persons: Alan Shaw, William Clyburn, Sameh Fahmy, Gilbert Lamphere, Ancora, Glass Lewis, Jim Chadwick, Frederick DiSanto, Shaw, Ancora's, Jim Barber, Ancora's Chadwick, DiSanto Organizations: Norfolk Southern, Shareholders, Norfolk, ISS, PSR, Government, Labor, Cleveland Locations: . Norfolk, Ohio, Ancora

☆ ISS says unions and pension funds should back Norfolk Southern activist investor
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Rohan Goswami | In Rohangoswamicnbc | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Norfolk Southern Chief Executive Alan Shaw testifies during a Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee hearing titled "Improving Rail Safety in Response to the East Palestine Derailment" in Washington, U.S., March 22, 2023. Norfolk Southern -invested unions and pension funds should back activist Ancora's full seven-director slate at the railroad's shareholder meeting later this month, two different Institutional Shareholder Services proxy advisory services said. Neuberger Berman said earlier that it would support Ancora's case for change at Norfolk Southern, while Canadian asset manager EdgePoint also reaffirmed on Thursday that it would be voting its shares with the activist. (EdgePoint was initially partnered with Ancora's campaign at Norfolk Southern but dissolved that arrangement months earlier.) Top institutional shareholders include Vanguard, BlackRock, State Street and Dodge & Cox, as well as California's pension funds, CalPERS and CalSTRS, and Colorado's public pension fund.

Persons: Alan Shaw, Ancora's, Taft, Jim Barber, Glass Lewis, Barber, investor's, Ancora, Neuberger Berman, EdgePoint Organizations: Norfolk Southern, Commerce, Science, Institutional, Hartley Advisory Services, Social Advisory Services, CNBC, UPS, ISS, Norfolk Southern's, Norfolk, Vanguard, Dodge, Cox Locations: East Palestine, Washington , U.S, Norfolk, East Palestine , Ohio, BlackRock

☆ ISS endorses most of activist Ancora's nominees for Norfolk Southern board
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Rohan Goswami | In Rohangoswamicnbc | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Influential proxy advisory firm ISS recommended on Tuesday that Norfolk Southern shareholders support five of activist Ancora's seven board nominees, withholding an endorsement from CEO pick Jim Barber but describing him as a "credible director and CEO candidate nonetheless." Ancora is seeking to oust both current CEO Shaw and newly appointed COO John Orr. ISS recommends shareholders support Ancora nominees William Clyburn, Sameh Fahmy, Gilbert Lamphere, Allison Landry and John Kasich. "As board chair, Amy Miles arguably bears the most responsibility for this state of affairs," ISS' report read. WATCH: CNBC's full interview with NSC CEO Shaw on activist campaign

Persons: Jim Barber, Glass Lewis, Alan Shaw's, Barber, Amy Miles, Ancora, Shaw, John Orr, William Clyburn, Sameh Fahmy, Gilbert Lamphere, Allison Landry, John Kasich, Orr, Sen, Heidi Heitkamp, Richard Anderson Organizations: Norfolk, ISS, CNBC, Vanguard, BlackRock, Norfolk Southern, Delta Locations: Norfolk Southern, East Palestine , Ohio, Norfolk

☆ Glass Lewis endorses 6 of activist Ancora's nominees for Norfolk Southern board
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-29 | by ( Rohan Goswami | In Rohangoswamicnbc | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Activist investor Ancora received a powerful endorsement in its efforts to secure a board change and to oust Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw on Monday, when proxy advisor Glass Lewis recommended the railroad's shareholders vote for 6 of Ancora's board nominees. "We believe Ancora has presented a compelling case for supporting a substantial overhaul of the Company's current leadership," Glass Lewis said in its report. Furthermore, Glass Lewis said Barber, Ancora's pick for CEO, and Jamie Boychuk, the activist's pick for COO, "have compelling credentials and track records." Ancora also seeks to install former CSX executive Boychuk as Barber's chief operating officer. Their support, coupled with Glass Lewis' endorsement, gives the activist powerful ammunition as it seeks to convince shareholders.

Persons: Ancora, Alan Shaw, Glass Lewis, Betsy Akins, Jim Barber, William Clyburn, Sameh Fahmy, Gilbert Lamphere, Allison Landry, Shaw, Amy Miles, Barber, Ancora's, Jamie Boychuk, Boychuk, John Orr Organizations: Norfolk Southern, Teamster, UPS, CNBC, CSX, Canadian National, CN, NSC, Norfolk Locations: Norfolk Southern, East Palestine , Ohio, Norfolk

☆ Activist Ancora endorsed by second Norfolk Southern union in proxy contest
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-26 | by ( Rohan Goswami | In Rohangoswamicnbc | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

A second Norfolk Southern union said Friday it would back activist Ancora's efforts to elect seven directors and oust CEO Alan Shaw, a sign of labor dissatisfaction with management and a key endorsement for Ancora as Norfolk Southern's shareholder meeting nears. The BLET Teamsters, which represents the engineers and trainsmen who operate Norfolk Southern's locomotives, said Friday they're throwing their weight behind Ancora. "It's a privilege to receive support from the BLET Teamsters, who believe in our plan to improve performance, safety and employee relations at Norfolk Southern," Barber said. The latest endorsement, coupled with the support of the BMWED Teamsters earlier this week, means roughly half of NSC's unionized employees are supporting the activist, Ancora said. "We recognize the hard work that the BLET Teamsters members and all of the Company's employees put in every day," Boychuk said.

Persons: Alan Shaw, John Orr, Edward Hall, Jim Barber, Jamie Boychuk, Barber, Ancora, Boychuk Organizations: Norfolk Southern, Teamsters, NS, BLET Teamsters, Norfolk, Ancora . Norfolk Southern Locations: Ancora, Norfolk, Ancora . Norfolk

☆ Teamsters union endorses activist Ancora in Norfolk Southern proxy fight
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-25 | by ( Rohan Goswami | In Rohangoswamicnbc | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Activist Ancora on Thursday won the support of the BMWED Teamsters in the investor's efforts to oust Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw and a majority of the railroad's 13-person board. The labor group said it would back the activist's seven director nominees over Norfolk Southern management, a significant endorsement in an industry unusually dependent on union support. The support from the BMWED Teamsters, whose members build and maintain the track infrastructure that keeps Norfolk Southern trains moving, amounts to a sharp rebuke of Shaw and Norfolk Southern's board. Norfolk Southern and Ancora have been locked in a proxy contest for several months. Neuberger Berman, for example, is backing the activist and said that Norfolk Southern had a history of poor governance and that a boardroom change was needed.

Persons: Ancora, Alan Shaw, Shaw, Tony Cardwell, Cardwell, Jim Barber, Jamie Boychuk, Boychuk, Barber, It's, John Orr, Glass Lewis, Neuberger Berman Organizations: Thursday, Teamsters, Norfolk Southern, Norfolk, BMWED Teamsters, Labor, American Federation of Labor, Industrial Organizations, CSX, Ancora Locations: Norfolk Southern, Norfolk, U.S, East Palestine , Ohio, Washington

☆ Activist Investor Ancora on its case for a new CEO, board at Norfolk Southern
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-18 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailActivist Investor Ancora on its case for a new CEO, board at Norfolk SouthernMorgan Brennan sits down with James Chadwick, Ancora Alternatives president, and Jim Barber, former UPS COO--Ancora's pick to become Norfolk Southern's next CEO--to talk the proxy fight, the aftermath of the 2022 East Palestine derailment and their calls for change at Norfolk Southern.

Persons: Morgan Brennan, James Chadwick, Jim Barber Organizations: Norfolk, Ancora, Norfolk Southern Locations: Palestine

☆ Norfolk Southern activist investor highlights past abusive behavior of new COO as proxy fight intensifies
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-05 | by ( Rohan Goswami | In Rohangoswamicnbc | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Last month, Norfolk Southern hired Orr away from rival CPKC, paying tens of millions of dollars to buy him out of his contract. A witness told the arbitrator that, in one instance, Orr told the employee that she "was so f------ stupid it was embarrassing." Prior to the announced hiring of Orr, Ancora drew attention to claims about his behavior in emails to two Norfolk Southern board members that CNBC obtained. Norfolk Southern told CNBC in a statement that Ancora's analysis of the value of the route — the Meridian Speedway agreement — "is completely inaccurate and based on a flawed premise," in that it assumes Norfolk Southern is forgoing more revenue than it actually is. Regarding Orr, Norfolk Southern said he has a "track record of improving performance while operating safely and with integrity."

Persons: Ancora, Alan Shaw, John Orr, Orr, Jim Barber, Jamie Boychuk, Shaw, John, Mr, Neuberger Berman, Gordon Haskett, Don Bilson, it's, isn't Organizations: Norfolk Southern, Getty Images, Wall, Canadian National, Canadian, CNBC, Norfolk, Meridian, CSX, Longacre Square Partners, Barclays Locations: Atlanta , Georgia, Getty Images Norfolk, Norfolk, Norfolk Southern, U.S, Orr, East Palestine , Ohio

☆ Norfolk Southern CEO says activist investor's responses to settlement are 'unreasonable'
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-27 | by ( Julie Coleman | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw denounced Ancora Holdings, the activist investor currently engaged in a proxy fight with the railroad company's board, during an interview with CNBC's Jim Cramer on Wednesday. "We've gone to the activist, and we've offered a settlement — their responses have been unreasonable at the determination of our board," he said. Norfolk Southern faced criticism over the past year after one of its freight trains derailed in East Palestine, Ohio in February 2023 and released toxic chemicals into the soil, water and air. Based in Cleveland, Ohio, 90 minutes from East Palestine, Ancora challenged Norfolk Southern in February, aiming to add eight directors to the board and oust Shaw as CEO. "We enhanced safety, we're making it right in East Palestine," Shaw said.

Persons: Alan Shaw, Ancora, CNBC's Jim Cramer, We've, we've, Shaw, he's Organizations: Norfolk Southern, Ancora Holdings, Norfolk, Regulators Locations: East Palestine , Ohio, Cleveland , Ohio, East Palestine, Norfolk

☆ Norfolk Southern proxy fight draws heavyweight politicians and regulatory scrutiny a year after derailment
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-27 | by ( Rohan Goswami | In Rohangoswamicnbc | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +12 min

Norfolk Southern' has underperformed both its peers and the broader market over the last year. Norfolk Southern responded on Monday, rejecting that slate and announcing it would nominate former Amtrak CEO Richard Anderson and former U.S. For Ancora, which has a successful track record as an activist investor, the proxy fight at Norfolk Southern would be its largest ever. EdgePoint controlled 3.4 million Norfolk Southern shares as of Dec. 31, or about 1.5% of shares outstanding. Norfolk Southern has yet to set a date for the annual shareholder meeting.

Persons: Alan Shaw, Norfolk Southern Scott Mlyn, John Kasich, Donald Trump, Ancora, Shaw, Jim Barber, Jamie Boychuk, Richard Anderson, North Dakota Heidi Heitkamp, Heitkamp, Anderson, Frank Blake, Matt Freed, Joe Biden, Biden, Trump, it's, there's, Ancora's, Hunter Harrison, Norfolk Southern, Martin Oberman, Oberman, Amit Bose, Bose, Jim Chadwick, Chadwick, Ancora beneficially, Barber, Boychuk, Harrison, Mandel Ngan, Ancora's Chadwick, Amy Miles, Miles, Claude Mongeau, CNBC's Leslie Picker, Heidi Heitkamp Organizations: Norfolk Southern, CNBC, Norfolk, Ancora Advisors, EdgePoint Investment Group, Republican, Amtrak, Delta Airlines, Cargill, Home Depot, U.S, Energy, Workers, East, Trump, Biden, Southern, PSR, Federal Railroad Administration, Surface Transportation, Federal, UPS, Teamsters, Canadian, . Norfolk Southern, CSX, Deutsche Bank, AFP, Getty Locations: Norfolk Southern, East Palestine , Ohio, Ohio, Norfolk, North Dakota, Medtronic, East Palestine, Cleveland, Ancora

☆ Activist Ancora may turn to a reliable tactic to enhance value at Norfolk Southern
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-10 | by ( Kenneth Squire | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

When you see that in a railroad company, there is one key metric to look at, which drives railroad profitability and shareholder return: It's the operating ratio. The operating ratio is the company's operating expenses as a percentage of revenue. NSC's operating ratio is almost 69% and the right management team with the right strategy should easily be able to get the operating ratio down close to 60%. There is no need to reinvent the wheel here; the roadmap has already been drawn at Canadian Pacific and CSX. Inside the activist world, and among investors who were shareholders of Canadian Pacific and CSX, this is as sure of an activist strategy as there is.

Persons: Ancora, James Chadwick, Mantle, Hunter Harrison, Harrison, John Kasich, Sameh Fahmy, Jim Chadwick, Ken Squire Organizations: Norfolk Southern, Railroads, TCI, CSX, Pershing, Canadian Pacific, Canadian National, CP, PSR, Kansas City Southern, 13D Locations: United States, Ancora, Ohio

☆ Activist investor urges Disney to add Trian's Nelson Peltz to its board
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( Drew Richardson | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Activist investor Ancora on Tuesday urged Disney to put Nelson Peltz on its board, days after Peltz and his firm, Trian, launched a proxy fight with the entertainment giant. "Mr. Peltz (or a qualified designee) would make a fantastic addition to Disney's Board." Trian oversees about $3 billion in Disney stock, but the overwhelming bulk of the shares is owned by Perlmutter, whom Disney laid off earlier this year. Trian is seeking more than two seats on Disney's board, which is populated by directors seen as loyal to Iger. Ancora owned more than 60,000 shares of Disney as of September, according to FactSet.

Persons: Ancora, Disney, Nelson Peltz, Peltz, Bob Chapek, Bob Iger, Ike Perlmutter, Trian, Perlmutter, Iger Organizations: Board, Trian Fund Management, Disney's, Disney, Marvel, CNBC PRO Locations: Trian

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