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☆ 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.

☆ Facing growing calls for reform, Salesforce could use some fresh faces on its board
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Kevin Stankiewicz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The enterprise software giant is considering at least three potential board appointees, Bloomberg News reported Thursday , citing people with knowledge of the matter. Among those reportedly in conversation to join Salesforce's board are former Carnival Cruise CEO Arnold Donald, Mastercard CFO Sachin Mehra and Mason Morfit, the chief executive of ValueAct Capital. And the firm is now planning to nominate candidates for Salesforce's board, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday . Bottom line We're encouraged by the Bloomberg report because Salesforce's board could undoubtedly use a refresh, with multiple directors having served for 10 years or more, according to FactSet. New board members, coupled with growing activist pressure, could could be just the boost Salesforce needs and that the market wants to see.

☆ 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.

☆ Activist investors in Salesforce spell good news for shareholders like us
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( Kevin Stankiewicz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Pressure from activist investors is mounting at Club holding Salesforce (CRM). Elliott's investment in Salesforce comes roughly three months after activist investor Starboard Value disclosed a position in the company. Moreover, Jim Cramer has said, at least two other investors with activist backgrounds, including Jeff Ubben , have taken a stake in Salesforce. If these high-profile investors thought Salesforce was irreparably damaged company, whose tech was at a competitive disadvantage, they may have looked elsewhere. As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade.

☆ Inclusive Capital takes a stake in Bayer — 3 ways it may build value with a sustainable focus
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( Kenneth Squire | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Activist Commentary: Inclusive Capital Partners is a San Francisco-based investment firm focused on increasing shareholder value and promoting sound environmental, social and governance practices. As a pioneering active ESG ("AESG") investor, Inclusive seeks long-term shareholder value through active partnership with companies whose core businesses contribute solutions to this pursuit. Bayer's crop science division accounts for approximately 25% of global crop farming. There are several ways to create this shareholder value. Bayer currently trades at approximately 7x earnings while its pure-play crop science peer, Corteva, trades at closer to 20x earnings.

☆ Bayer Could Go the Way of General Electric and Daimler
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Stephen Wilmot | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

A more comprehensive split of Bayer, with healthcare parting ways with crop science, is a clear option for a new boss. In the slow-burning decline of the industrial conglomerate, the next shoe to drop might be German drugs-to-crops giant Bayer . The inventor of aspirin has attracted a lot of attention from activist investors lately. Jeff Ubben ‘s Inclusive Capital Partners disclosed a stake last week. Bluebell Capital Partners, a small European fund that helped to oust the former chief executive officer of French yogurt maker Danone , also has built a stake.

☆ Bayer’s rude health lays better path for breakup
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( Aimee Donnellan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Activists like Jeff Ubben’s Inclusive Capital Partners may now, however, be in a better position to push for a breakup. Smaller peer Bluebell Capital Partners has also bought in recently. Using UBS forecasts, they would be worth 50 billion euros and 88 billion euros respectively. Its smaller consumer drugs division might fetch another 18 billion euros, using peer Reckitt Benckiser’s (RKT.L) 12 times multiple. Add them up, take off debt, pension liabilities and a further 6 billion euros of future Roundup litigation costs, and Bayer’s equity could be worth nearly 110 billion euros.

☆ Bayer gains on report activist Bluebell pushing for break-up
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( Ludwig Burger | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

FRANKFURT, Jan 11 (Reuters) - Bayer (BAYGn.DE) shares gained 1.7% in early Wednesday trade following a report activist investor Bluebell Capital Partners has built an equity stake and is pushing for a break-up of the German pharmaceutical and agriculture company. A Bayer spokesperson, who declined to comment on the report, said: "Generally speaking we are always open for a constructive dialogue with our stakeholders." The report follows news on Monday that activist investment fund Inclusive Capital Partners, run by hedge fund veteran Jeffrey Ubben, has acquired a 0.83% stake in Bayer, which has seen its market value slide in recent years. Bayer on Tuesday flagged billions in additional sales potential from its drug development pipeline, buoying its shares. Bayer shares have lagged($1 = 0.9308 euros)Reporting by Ludwig Burger Editing by Rachel More and Mark PotterOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Both are legacy issues from Monsanto, which Bayer acquired for more than $60 billion in 2018. Another activist, Elliott, took a 1.1 billion euro stake in Bayer in 2019 but has kept a low profile. The next-generation blood thinner is one of four new drug hopefuls that Bayer said on Tuesday had combined peak sales potential of more than 12 billion euros. That included an improved outlook for kidney drug Kerendia, with potential annual sales now seen at more than 3 billion euros. ($1 = 0.9313 euros)Reporting by Ludwig Burger and Patricia Weiss Editing by Mark PotterOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ 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.

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