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☆ Stocks making the biggest moves midday: Sonos, Salesforce, Disney, Credit Suisse and more
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Sarah Min | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Sonos — Shares surged 17% after Sonos reported a big beat in its fiscal first-quarter results. The audio products developer posted per-share earnings of 57 cents, compared to consensus estimates of 40 cents per share, according to Refinitiv. Affirm Holdings — The buy now, pay later finance company slumped 20% a day after its fiscal second-quarter earnings and revenue missed analysts' estimates, according to Refinitiv. Revenue and earnings were both below analysts' estimates, according to Refinitiv. Credit Suisse Group — Shares plunged 14% after the Swiss bank reported a fourth-quarter and annual net loss that missed estimates, according to Eikon.

The campaign increases the pressure on non-executive Chairman Norbert Winkeljohann, who has faced calls from large shareholders for the swift replacement of Chief Executive Werner Baumann, who engineered Bayer's troubled Monsanto takeover. The approaches come after Ubben's activist investment fund Inclusive Capital Partners said last month it had bought a 0.83% stake in Bayer. David Herro, deputy chairman of Harris Associates, told Reuters in brief emailed comments that Ubben had contacted him to discuss Bayer. A spokesperson said Bayer was always open to a constructive dialogue with shareholders and declined to comment further. Investors who have publicly called for a swift CEO change hold at least a combined 6.7% in Bayer, according to Refinitiv data.

☆ Here’s our February rapid-fire update on all 34 stocks in Jim Cramer’s Investing Club portfolio
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-05 | by ( Matthew J. Belvedere | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +12 min

Here's a rapid-fire update on all 34 stocks in Jim Cramer's Charitable Trust, the holdings we manage in the CNBC Investing Club. J & J is a good stock to get into ahead of the impending split into two companies: consumer brands and pharma/medical technology. The company reported a good quarter and guidance, while fundamentals are solid ahead of the split. As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade. Jim waits 45 minutes after sending a trade alert before buying or selling a stock in his charitable trust's portfolio.

☆ Blackstone's real-estate business is totally fine, so please stop asking about it
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Blackstone's real-estate business is literally fine, everyone. Yes, the private-equity giant had to limit investors from pulling their money out from the $69 billion Blackstone Real Estate Income Trust (BREIT) in December. And yes, it's also true that Blackstone had to tell investors again on Wednesday that investors were pulling money from BREIT. Murphy, an executive at Standard Investments, serving as Blackstone's new COO of corporate private equity and Heather von Zuben's appointment as COO of Blackstone's credit arm. As much as I enjoy poking fun at Blackstone, Schwarzman and Gray aren't necessarily wrong, to a degree.

☆ Meet the Blackstone execs taking on new roles across real estate, private equity, and credit as the firm shakes up leadership
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Rebecca Ungarino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Blackstone is making changes to its real estate, private equity, and credit leadership. Murphy will replace the longtime Blackstone executive Robert Ramsauer, who is leaving the firm after 19 years. It is also shuffling the leadership of its credit business and its real estate business that includes Blackstone Real Estate Income Trust, known as BREIT, a high-profile fund for the firm that has recently faced redemption requests. The firm's leadership changes extend to its credit business. von Zuben's shift marks the second leadership change in the credit business, a particularly competitive area for private investment firms, that Blackstone has announced this year.

☆ Bayer investor calls for swift replacement of CEO -newspaper
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

FRANKFURT, Jan 28 (Reuters) - Bayer (BAYGn.DE) investor Deka has called for CEO Werner Baumann to be replaced ahead of his scheduled departure, adding to mounting pressure on the German drugmaker. "There is a window of opportunity for Chairman Norbert Winkeljohann to act before the annual general meeting at the end of April. He has to seize that opportunity, otherwise the pressure on him will increase as well," Speich added. "Generally speaking we are always open to a constructive dialogue with our stakeholders," a Bayer spokesperson said, declining to comment specifically on the interview. Another activist investment fund, hedge fund veteran Jeffrey Ubben's Inclusive Capital Partners, said this month it had also acquired a stake in Bayer.

☆ Salesforce appoints new board directors amid activist investor pressure
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Jan 27 (Reuters) - Salesforce Inc (CRM.N) on Friday named three new board directors, including the chief of hedge fund ValueAct Capital, amid pressure from activist investors for better cost control and a management shakeup at the cloud-based software firm. The company appointed chief executive of hedge fund ValueAct Capital Mason Morfit, Mastercard (MA.N) finance chief Sachin Mehra and former chief executive of Carnival Corp (CCL.N) Arnold Donald to its board. Reuters reported on Thursday that Elliott Management Corp, the activist investment firm that recently made a multimillion-dollar investment in Salesforce, plans to nominate several director candidates. The company also said Sanford Robertson and Alan Hassenfeld, directors at Salesforce since 2003, will not stand for re-election. Reporting by Tiyashi Datta in Bengaluru; Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips and Arun KoyyurOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ If Marc Benioff is forced to sell Slack to appease activist investors, it would probably be worth less than half the $28 billion he paid just 18 months ago
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Julie Bort | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

He calculated Slack would be worth less than half what Salesforce paid for it, and could still be worth selling. Salesforce founder and CEO Marc Benioff has multiple activist investors with stakes in his company, circling him to demand changes. One possible outcome is that Benioff is forced to sell or spinoff Slack, according to analysts. It paid more than twice that — $27.7 billion — in an acquisition that closed just 18 months ago. Under siege from fearsome activist investorsWhen we say Benioff has multiple activist investors circling, we mean he's practically under siege.

☆ Activist Elliott to nominate directors at Salesforce -sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Svea Herbst-Bayliss | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NEW YORK, Jan 26 (Reuters) - Elliott Management Corp, the activist investment firm that recently made a multimillion-dollar investment in Salesforce (CRM.N), plans to nominate several director candidates at the cloud-based software company, people familiar with the matter said on Thursday. Elliott, which invests more than $55 billion, is currently interviewing a number of people including technology industry executives and executives in other industries, the people said. Elliott has long invested in technology companies and in the past reached settlements for board seats with companies including Pinterest (PINS.N), Twitter and eBay (EBAY.O). News that Elliott expects to nominate directors, first reported by the Wall Street Journal, came after Bloomberg reported Salesforce was considering refreshing its board, a step some companies take preemptively if activists start building holdings of their shares. At Salesforce there are at least four activist investors including Elliott, Starboard Value, Jeff Ubben's Inclusive Capital and ValueAct, the firm Ubben founded and which is now run by Mason Morfit, sources familiar with the matter said.

☆ Djokovic romps on towards 10th Australian title, Linette stuns Pliskova
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Shrivathsa Sridhar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Djokovic is making a mockery of the theory that the second week of Grand Slam tournaments get tougher. Fifth seed Rublev has now lost all seven Grand Slam quarter-finals which he contested. "I'm really excited, man. So I'm really grateful." Linette had no problems serving out her quarter-final against twice Grand Slam finalist Pliskova, whose 36 unforced errors sabotaged yet another bid to win a first major.

☆ Jeff Ubben's Inclusive Capital takes stake in Salesforce as more activists target the software giant
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( Yun Li | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Jeff Ubben's Inclusive Capital has taken a position in Salesforce , according to sources, CNBC's David Faber reported Monday. Salesforce has also attracted activist investor Elliott Management's interest, which made a multibillion dollar investment, the Wall Street Journal reported late Sunday. In October, Starboard Value announced an undisclosed stake in Salesforce, saying the company was suffering from a valuation discount due to a "subpar mix of growth and profitability." Salesforce is in the middle of restructuring amid slowing growth and recession fears. Earlier this year, the firm said it planned to cut jobs by 10%, or 700 employees, and close some offices.

☆ Investor Ubben takes 0.8% stake in Bayer, boosting share price
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] The logo of Bayer Mexico is pictured at the company's plant in Lerma, Mexico November 10, 2022. Inclusive Capital said in a statement it had acquired 8.18 million Bayer shares as of Jan. 5, which works out at about 407 million euros ($435 million) based on that day's closing price. The Financial Times, which earlier reported Ubben's investment, said the stake was worth $500 million. Bayer shares gained almost 4% on the news to their highest level in about a month. Bayer' stock market value is about $50 billion for all its businesses including pharmaceuticals, consumer health products, seeds and pesticides, well below the $63 billion deal value for its 2018 takeover of Roundup-maker Monsanto.

☆ The best ways to use a Marriott Bonvoy 35,000-point free night certificate — from swanky beach destinations to upscale international hotels
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-01 | by ( Ethan Steinberg | Read More | Read Less | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +21 min

These include the Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card and Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card. Earn up to 17X total points per $1 spent at over 7,000 hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy® with the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Card. Awards can be used for one night (redemption level at or under 35,000 Marriott Bonvoy® points) at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy®. Marriott Bonvoy recently added the ability to "top up" free night certificate values with up to 15,000 points. The best hotels for redeeming a 35,000-point Marriott free night certificateAll of the cards that offer these free night certificates carry annual fees in the ~$100 range (from $95 on the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card up to $125 for the Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card.

Organizations: ~$

☆ Hedge-fund billionaire Leon Cooperman slams cannabis company Green Thumb Industries and accuses it of insider selling in a testy exchange
▼ + stars: | 2022-05-06 | by ( Jeremy Berke | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Leon Cooperman ripped into Green Thumb Industries executives and accused them of insider selling. Green Thumb Industries' stock is down by 47% since January 1. During Green Thumb Industries' investor call on Wednesday evening, the hedge-fund billionaire Leon Cooperman ripped into the Chicago cannabis giant's CEO, Ben Kovler, over what Cooperman said was rampant insider selling by the company's executives. "I currently remain the largest shareholder in Green Thumb, and management continues to believe in the $75 billion to $100 billion opportunity ahead for both Green Thumb and the industry at large." Despite mixed results in the quarter, analysts are optimistic about Green Thumb Industries' long-term growth prospects.

Since then, the site has covered tech from a variety of angles, including tech company business news, tech product launch news, and tech product reviews. The Insider Reviews tech team tests and reviews tech products across all categories, including computers, phones, wearables, speakers, headphones, smart home devices, and tech accessories. How we test tech productsWe test tech products by using them every day in the real world. Meet our expert tech teamOur tech team collectively has decades of experience testing and reviewing consumer tech products. From Google's latest Pixel device to the next big smart home gadget, Antonio is on top of it for Insider Reviews.

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