Shares of Icahn Enterprises, the firm led by the billionaire financier Carl C. Icahn, fell as much as 30 percent on Friday after the saber-rattling investor, under pressure from a short seller, said his firm would halve its quarterly dividend and refocus on the style of activist investing that brought him his fame and fortune.
The announcement comes three months after Hindenburg Research, the short seller, released a report questioning the financials of Icahn Enterprises, and whether it had the wherewithal to continue paying a dividend to shareholders.
Hindenburg, led by Nathan Anderson, accused Mr. Icahn’s firm of running “Ponzi-like economic structures.” Short sellers profit when stock prices fall.
The plunging stock price of Icahn Enterprises is the latest setback for the 87-year-old investor who, for more than four decades, has taken on publicly traded companies and pressured their chief executives to make changes.
Including the drop on Friday, shares of Mr. Icahn’s firm are down roughly 50 percent since Hindenburg released its report on May 2.
Persons:
Carl C, Nathan Anderson, Mr, Icahn’s, Hindenburg
Organizations:
Icahn Enterprises, Hindenburg Research, Mr