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☆ Carl Icahn, Activist Investor, Becomes Target of Short Seller
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Michael J. De La Merced | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Over nearly a half-century, Carl Icahn has shaken up Wall Street as a corporate raider and activist shareholder, making corporate titans bow down to his demands and change their business strategies. But on Tuesday, his publicly traded company, Icahn Enterprises, became a target of Hindenburg Research, the short seller firm that has made its name in recent years by taking on the Indian tycoon Gautam Adani and the Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey. Hindenburg accused Icahn Enterprises of being overvalued. The company trades well above its net asset value, unlike similar financial vehicles run by William A. Ackman and Daniel S. Loeb. “Icahn has been using money taken in from new investors to pay out dividends to old investors,” Hindenburg wrote in a public report.

☆ Battle of the Activists: Hindenburg Shorts Icahn
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Ben Foldy | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Activist investor Carl Icahn buys stakes in companies and agitates to make changes he thinks will drive their stock up. Photo: brendan mcdermid/ReutersShort seller Hindenburg Research is betting against activist investor Carl Icahn ’s publicly traded holding company, the firm said. In a report published Tuesday morning, the firm said Icahn Enterprises is overvalued and is holding some assets at inflated prices. Hindenburg’s report sets up a battle between the firm’s founder, Nathan Anderson, and Mr. Icahn, who have each tormented corporate executives with allegations of malfeasance and incompetence.

☆ Hindenburg takes on billionaire Icahn with latest short position
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

May 2 (Reuters) - Hindenburg Research said on Tuesday it has a short position in activist investor Carl Icahn-controlled energy-to-pharma conglomerate Icahn Enterprises (IEP.O), making it the latest in a string of recent high-profile targets of the U.S. short seller. Icahn Enterprises did not immediately respond to a request for comment and Reuters could not independently verify the claims the short-seller has made in its report. Hindenburg also claimed Icahn was operating a "ponzi-like economic structure," selling its units to new investors to support its dividend payouts. Based in Sunny Isles Beach, Florida, Icahn Enterprises is one of the most successful activist investment firms and the chief investment vehicle of Icahn, who is known for his face-offs with several high-profile firms. As of last close, shares were down marginally this year, giving Icahn Enterprises a valuation of roughly $18 billion.

However, with inflation running well over the central bank's 2% target and a still-strong labor market, chances of rate cuts seem less likely. With Monday's manufacturing data giving the Fed enough room for more near-term tightening, all eyes will be on jobs and factory orders data after the opening bell. ET, Dow e-minis were down 79 points, or 0.23%, S&P 500 e-minis were down 7.5 points, or 0.18%, and Nasdaq 100 e-minis were down 6 points, or 0.05%. Educational services company Chegg (CHGG.N) tanked 45.6% on a downbeat second-quarter revenue forecast on increasing competition from ChatGPT. Icahn Enterprises LP (IEP.O) dropped 11% after U.S. short seller Hindenburg Research said it has a short position in activist investor Carl Icahn-controlled energy-to-pharma conglomerate.

☆ Hindenburg Research goes after Carl Icahn in latest campaign for market-moving short seller
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Yun Li | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Carl Icahn speaking at Delivering Alpha in New York on Sept. 13, 2016.Notable short seller Hindenburg Research is going after famed activist investor Carl Icahn. "Overall, we think Icahn, a legend of Wall Street, has made a classic mistake of taking on too much leverage in the face of sustained losses: a combination that rarely ends well," Hindenburg Research said in a note released Tuesday. Headquartered in Sunny Isles Beach, Florida, Icahn Enterprises is a holding company that involves in a myriad of businesses including energy, automotive, food packaging, metals and real estate. Hindenburg said it believes the high dividend yield is "unsupported" by the company's cash flow and investment performance. Shares of Icahn Enterprises are down 0.5% on the year as of Monday's close.

In a report published on Tuesday, Hindenburg accused IEP of overvaluing its holdings and relying on a "Ponzi-like" structure to pay dividends. The subsequent plunge in IEP shares wiped $2.9 billion off Icahn's net worth, leaving him with an estimated $14.7 billion, according to Forbes. NAV is a key gauge of a fund's performance, measuring the market value of securities held by the fund. Driving the frothiness in IEP's stock, Hindenburg argued, is its dividend yield of 15.8%, the highest of any U.S. large cap company by far. Hindenburg also offered examples it said showed IEP itself was valuing its holdings way above their market value.

☆ Short investor Hindenburg erases fifth of Icahn empire’s value
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

In a report published on Tuesday, Hindenburg accused IEP of overvaluing its holdings and relying on a “Ponzi-like” structure to pay dividends. The subsequent plunge in IEP shares wiped $2.9 billion off Icahn’s net worth, leaving him with an estimated $14.7 billion, according to Forbes. NAV is a key gauge of a fund’s performance, measuring the market value of securities held by the fund. Driving the frothiness in IEP’s stock, Hindenburg argued, is its dividend yield of 15.8%, the highest of any US large cap company by far. Hindenburg also offered examples it said showed IEP itself was valuing its holdings way above their market value.

☆ Stocks making the biggest moves midday: Uber, Chegg, Dell, PacWest, SoFi & more
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Alex Harring | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Uber — Shares of the ride-hailing giant jumped more than 8% after the company reported first-quarter revenue that beat analysts' expectations. Still, the company did beat expectations for the quarter and provide strong guidance. NXP Semiconductors — Shares of the chipmaker added more than 2% after the company beat analysts' expectations for first-quarter revenue and operating income. Revenue guidance for the second quarter was better than anticipated as well. The global bank also announced an upcoming $2 billion share buyback program and restored its quarterly dividend.

☆ The short seller that took on Asia's richest man has a new target: Wall Street legend Carl Icahn
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Morgan Chittum | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Hindenburg Research unveiled its short position against Carl Icahn's holding company on Tuesday. The short seller has also targeted Adani Group and payments company Block this year. Hindenburg Research, which earlier this year released a scathing report on Indian conglomerate Adani Group, unveiled its short position against Icahn Enterprises on Tuesday. Shares of Icahn Enterprises plunged nearly 20% shortly after the opening bell, trading at $41.49 at 10:05 a.m. Icahn Enterprises did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

☆ McDonald's CEO Chris Kempczinski 'needs to be fired', says Allen Media Group CEO Byron Allen
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | 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 EmailMcDonald's CEO Chris Kempczinski 'needs to be fired', says Allen Media Group CEO Byron AllenByron Allen, Allen Media Group CEO and chairman, joins 'Last Call' to discuss its recent attempt to buy TEGNA, the future of local news, his open letter to Carl Icahn, and much more.

☆ Carl Icahn calls Illumina Q1 results ‘very disappointing,’ slams cost-cutting plan
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Annika Kim Constantino | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Carl Icahn on Friday called Illumina's first-quarter results "very disappointing" and slammed the DNA sequencing company's new plans to cut costs. "Illumina CEO Francis deSouza seems to believe that he can fool all of the people all of the time," Icahn wrote. Illumina's stock is down more than 9% since the company reported earnings. In that missive, Icahn also took shots at cost-cutting plans Illumina unveiled to improve its shrinking margins. Illumina reported a negative operating margin of 5.7% for the quarter, down from 15% during the same period a year ago.

☆ Illumina CEO touts Grail’s 100% revenue growth amid proxy fight with Icahn
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Annika Kim Constantino | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Illumina CEO Francis deSouza on Wednesday touted the company's controversial acquisition of Grail after revenue from the cancer test developer doubled in the last year. The Grail deal is the focus of a heated proxy fight between Illumina and activist investor Carl Icahn. Antitrust regulators in the U.S. and Europe have also ordered Illumina to divest the $7.1 billion acquisition Illumina completed in 2021. He added that the Grail deal "makes sense" for Illumina because the company can significantly expand the market for the test. But Icahn, who owns a 1.4% stake in Illumina, has called the Grail deal "disastrous" and "a new low in corporate governance."

☆ Illumina unveils plans to cut costs as it faces shrinking margins
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Annika Kim Constantino | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

A building on the campus at the world headquarters of Illumina is shown in San Diego, California, September 1, 2021. Illumina on Tuesday unveiled plans to cut costs in a bid to improve the DNA sequencing company's shrinking margins. Among Illumina's plans is to use its NovaSeq X sequencing system to accelerate genomic discoveries. The San Diego-based company said it also plans to save by "enabling activities" in more cost-effective areas around the world. The Grail deal is also the focus of a proxy fight between activist investor Carl Icahn and Illumina.

☆ Piggyback Icahn? These are the best-performing activists you should follow into stocks
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Yun Li | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Goldman Sachs said only a handful of activist investors have the power to move stocks the way he does. The Wall Street firm analyzed 2,142 shareholder activism campaigns since 2006 and identified the investors with the most number of campaigns. "A wide performance distribution exists for both successful and unsuccessful activist campaigns and varies by type of activist demand," Goldman's head of U.S. equity strategy David Kostin said in a note. The stocks Carl Icahn invests in tend to enjoy a double-digit boost in the 12 months after he starts an attack, according to Goldman. Other activists that have a similar impact on stocks during the time frame are Ancora Advisors and Clinton Group, Goldman said.

☆ Carl Icahn says Illumina’s appeal of FTC order to divest Grail is ‘an almost impossible battle’
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Annika Kim Constantino | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Carl Icahn on Wednesday said Illumina 's efforts to appeal a Federal Trade Commission order to divest the highly contested Grail acquisition "is an almost impossible battle." Illumina on Monday told CNBC it intends to appeal the FTC's order in federal court, and will seek an expedited decision. The FTC's order reverses an administrative judge's September ruling, which dismissed the commission's initial challenge to the Grail deal. The company last year appealed a similar order by European Union regulators to unwind the Grail deal. The company on Wednesday said in a statement to CNBC that it has a "strong case on appeal" of the FTC's order.

WASHINGTON, April 3 (Reuters) - The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) on Monday ordered Illumina (ILMN.O) to divest cancer diagnostic test maker Grail, finding that its ownership would stifle competition in the U.S. market for cancer tests. Illumina said it would appeal the decision, and will seek expedited consideration from an appeals court. The company said the FTC order to unwind the deal would be automatically put on hold. Meanwhile, Illumina completed the takeover of Grail in August 2021, despite the lack of regulatory approval from Europe or the United States. He has called for Illumina, now valued at $36 billion, to unwind its deal for Grail, which he called a risky acquisition that cost shareholders $50 billion.

☆ Icahn and Khan make for odd bedfellows
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Case in point is Illumina (ILMN.O), which on Monday was ordered by the Federal Trade Commission, led by Chair Lina Khan, to unwind its $7 billion acquisition of Grail (GRAL.O). This puts Khan on the same side as Carl Icahn, who wants Illumina to ditch the deal for seemingly opposite reasons. Illumina makes DNA sequencing machines used in medical research. The commission believes Illumina could use its dominance in DNA sequencing to hurt Grail’s competitors and raise prices. Icahn, on the other hand, worries Grail is burning Illumina’s cash, and this hurts the parent firm’s effort to keep ahead of rivals.

☆ Carl Icahn blasts Illumina for nearly doubling CEO’s pay despite steep drop in market value
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( Annika Kim Constantino | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Carl Icahn blasted Illumina for nearly doubling its CEO's pay last year despite a dramatic drop in the biotech company's market value since closing a controversial deal. He was awarded nearly $26.8 million in total pay last year, nearly double the $14.3 million he received in 2021, according to a preliminary proxy statement Illumina filed Thursday. Part of deSouza's pay bump is a special grant of stock options worth $12.5 million, which Illumina called a "meaningful retention incentive in a highly competitive talent environment." DeSouza's pay increase follows a rocky 18 months for San Diego-based Illumina. The company's market value has fallen to roughly $35 billion from about $75 billion in August 2021, the month it closed its acquisition of cancer test developer Grail.

☆ Illumina urges shareholders to reject Carl Icahn's board nominees as proxy fight heats up
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Annika Kim Constantino | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Illumina on Thursday urged shareholders to reject Carl Icahn's three board nominees at this year's annual meeting, saying they would "threaten the progress" of the biotech company's core business. "Carl Icahn's involvement with Illumina risks the long-term success of the Company, and his director nominees bring no relevant skills to the Board of Directors," San Diego-based Illumina said in a preliminary proxy statement filed Thursday. The DNA sequencing company told shareholders to discard any proxy card sent by the activist investor or his affiliate entities. Illumina also urged shareholders to vote in favor of its proposed board of directors, noting that it would mail its definitive proxy materials soon. Illumina said it will provide more information about "the strength of our Board and management team, our strategy to deliver shareholder value – with innovation at its core – and the potential for Mr. Icahn's associate nominees to damage that strategy."

March 29 (Reuters) - Walt Disney Co (DIS.N) has laid off Marvel Entertainment Chairman Isaac "Ike" Perlmutter as part of a cost-cutting campaign, a source confirmed Wednesday. Dan Buckley, president of Marvel Entertainment, will remain and report to Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige, the second source said. Perlmutter, who outmaneuvered billionaire Carl Icahn for control of the comic book publisher in the late 1990s, sold Marvel to Disney for $4 billion in 2009. Disney CEO Bob Iger later restructured Marvel in 2015, placing Marvel Studios under Walt Disney Studios. Perlmutter retained the title of chairman of Marvel Entertainment, a unit responsible for publishing, games, digital media and some consumer products.

☆ Carl Icahn Wants to Bring Illumina’s Old CEO Back, Disney-Style
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( David Wainer | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Bob Iger ’s return to Disney is starting to inspire copycats as other activists look to bring veteran chief executives back from retirement. San Diego-based Illumina , the maker of gene-sequencing machines, could be next. Earlier this month, Carl Icahn launched a proxy battle at Illumina, nominating three people to the board. In a letter to shareholders, he argued that the current board had failed them by allowing management to close the acquisition of cancer-screening company Grail despite antitrust concerns. Now he is making it clear that he wants change at the management level too, and he has a candidate in mind for the top spot: former CEO Jay Flatley .

☆ Carl Icahn wants to bring back Illumina's ex-CEO -WSJ
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] A sign at the front entrance to the global headquarters of Illumina is pictured in San Diego, California, U.S., November 28, 2022. REUTERS/Mike BlakeMarch 29 (Reuters) - Carl Icahn wants former Illumina (ILMN.O) CEO Jay Flatley back at the U.S. life sciences firm, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday, as the activist investor intensifies his proxy fight that was launched earlier this month. In an interview with the WSJ, Icahn signaled that Illumina "should bring Flatley back as CEO immediately". Icahn and Illumina did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment. Reporting by Leroy Leo and Bhanvi Satija in Bengaluru; Editing by Rashmi AichOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Carl Icahn wants to bring back Illumina's ex-CEO 'immediately' as proxy fight intensifies
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( Annika Kim Constantino | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Carl Icahn on Wednesday said Illumina should bring back its former CEO "immediately," his latest move in a brewing proxy fight with the biotech company. Flatley helmed the company for 17 years before he was succeeded by current CEO Francis deSouza in 2016. Icahn, who owns a 1.4% stake in Illumina, lambasted the company's current management in the interview. He told the Journal that executives are making the mistake of holding onto Illumina's $7.1 billion acquisition of cancer test developer Grail in 2021. He told the Journal that Illumina can't afford to keep Grail under current macroeconomic conditions.

☆ Carl Icahn claims Illumina directors got extra insurance to close 'disastrous' $7.1 billion Grail deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( Annika Kim Constantino | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Carl Icahn on Friday alleged that Illumina 's directors demanded extra personal liability insurance before the biotech company signed off on a $7.1 billion acquisition of cancer test developer Grail in 2021. Icahn, who owns a 1.4% stake in Illumina, is pushing for board seats at the DNA sequencing company. Illumina prevailed over the U.S. Federal Trade Commission's opposition to the Grail deal in September, but is fighting for European regulatory approval. Last year, the EU's executive body, the European Commission, blocked Illumina's acquisition of Grail over concerns it would hurt consumer choice. The company's market cap has shrunk to roughly $34 billion from about $75 billion in August 2021, the month it closed the Grail deal.

☆ Biotech company Illumina pushes back against Carl Icahn’s proxy fight over $7.1 billion Grail deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( Annika Kim Constantino | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Biotech company Illumina pushed back Monday against Carl Icahn's proxy fight over the company's acquisition of cancer test developer Grail, saying the activist investor's board nominees "do not add value." "To paraphrase William Shakespeare's Hamlet, something is rotten in the state of Illumina," Icahn wrote. Illumina said winning a jurisdictional appeal would eliminate any potential fine and "gives the greatest optionality for Illumina to maximize value for shareholders." The company also claimed Icahn recognizes the value of Grail to shareholders, pointing to a CNBC interview last week where Icahn referred to Grail as Illumina's "best equipment." Illumina touted Grail in its release, saying it has "tremendous long-term value creation potential."

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