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Activist Irenic Capital Management said Tuesday that it would back fellow dissident Starboard Value's push to dissolve the dual-class structure at Rupert Murdoch's News Corp , ahead of a closely watched shareholder meeting. Irenic wrote in its Tuesday letter to News Corp's board that while it opposed the dual-class structure, it remained supportive of management's efforts to "unlock immediate value." Irenic also wrote it believes the Murdoch family and other super-voting shareholders should be paid a premium if a conversion to a single-share structure happened. A vote to dissolve the dual-class structure at News Corp nearly a decade ago failed, although it was supported by 90% of non-Murdoch shareholders. The Murdoch family controls roughly 40% of the vote through a family trust and the supervoting Class B shares, making governance changes tough.
Persons: Jeff Smith's, Murdoch, Adam Katz's Irenic, Irenic, Glass Lewis Organizations: Irenic Capital Management, Rupert Murdoch's News Corp, Wall Street, News Corp
In a Tuesday interview with CNBC's Jim Cramer, Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla struck a positive tone about activist investor Starboard Value, saying he agreed with some of its criticisms, but maintained that the company is headed in a good direction. But if Starboard, and anybody else for that matter, have good ideas, I will certainly discuss them and entertain." The pharmaceutical giant is under pressure from Starboard, which reportedly has a $1 billion stake in the company. But he praised Starboard's CEO Jeff Smith, saying he seemed "very smart" and "very pragmatic" at a recent meeting. Bourla also rebuked claims that his company was involved in dissuading past executives — former CEO Ian Read and former CFO Frank D'Amelio — from joining Starboard's efforts.
Persons: CNBC's Jim Cramer, Albert Bourla, Bourla, Jeff Smith, Ian Read, Frank D'Amelio — Organizations: Pfizer
Pfizer on Tuesday reported third-quarter revenue and adjusted profit that blew past expectations as the company's Covid vaccine and antiviral pill Paxlovid helped boost sales. Pfizer now expects revenue in a range of $61 billion to $64 billion, up from a previous revenue forecast of between $59.5 billion to $62.5 billion. That includes roughly $5 billion in expected revenue from its Covid vaccine and $5.5 billion from Paxlovid. Pfizer reported revenue of $17.7 billion for the third quarter, up 31% from the same period a year ago. Notably during the quarter, Pfizer withdrew from world markets a critical sickle cell drug it had acquired in a $5.4 billion deal for Global Blood Therapeutics.
Persons: Jeff Smith, Smith, Paxlovid, StreetAccount, Covid Organizations: Pfizer, LSEG, Global Blood Therapeutics Locations: U.S
Activist hedge fund Starboard has taken a stake in drug giant Pfizer. AdvertisementActivist hedge fund manager Jeff Smith outlined his concerns about drugmaker Pfizer on Tuesday but stopped short of offering a solution — saying that's a job for the board of directors. He also shared a version of the presentation his hedge fund Starboard presented to Pfizer officials at a meeting last week. "We all get measured by our track record," Smith told the crowd. The track record is not great during this period of time in the pharma industry."
Persons: execs, , Jeff Smith, Smith, Pfizer, It's, I'm Organizations: Pfizer, Service, 13D, pharma Locations: Manhattan, Central, Olive Garden
Starboard revealed a holding in the stock and Salesforce responded by cutting thousands of employees and moving up its timeline for widening its adjusted operating margin. On Tuesday, Starboard said in a presentation that Salesforce "can continue to become more efficient and more profitable." And Starboard said Salesforce should commit to adhering to the rule of 50 by the 2028 fiscal year. The activist firm laid out two scenarios, both of which involved Salesforce's revenue growth accelerating and its adjusted operating margin widening. The Agentforce technology for automating customer interactions, which Salesforce discussed at its Dreamforce conference in September, has the potential to boost revenue growth, Starboard said.
Persons: They've, Jeff Smith, CNBC's David Faber, Salesforce, Marc Benioff, Salesforce's, Mason Morfit, Amy Weaver Organizations: 13D, ValueAct, UBS, Adobe, Intuit, Microsoft, Oracle, SAP, CNBC Locations: New York
Kenvue CEO Thibaut Mongon at the New York Stock Exchange for its initial public offering, May 4, 2023. Activist investor Starboard Value has a large stake in Kenvue , which spun out of Johnson & Johnson in mid-2023, according to people familiar with the matter. Starboard's push at Kenvue comes just two weeks after news broke it had amassed a roughly $1 billion stake in struggling pharmaceutical company Pfizer. Johnson & Johnson completed its separation from Kenvue in August last year, though the pharmaceutical giant still holds a stake in the new company. Kenvue started trading on the New York Stock Exchange in May 2023, ending its first day of trading with a share price of about $27.
Persons: Thibaut Mongon, Johnson, Starboard's Jeff Smith, J's, Haleon, Kenvue Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, CNBC, Wall Street, Pfizer, Johnson, J, Procter Locations: Kenvue
Ian Read, chairman and chief executive officer of Pfizer Inc., gestures as he speaks during a panel session at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, on Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2017. Activist Starboard Value accused Pfizer of threatening litigation against the company's former CEO and CFO in order to get them to break ranks with the investor's nascent turnaround campaign at the pharmaceutical giant. Pfizer shares slipped overnight as news of the two executive's breakaway emerged, and opened down roughly 2.5% in Thursday morning trading. Starboard's Smith said that when the activist approached the two executives, both expressed "concerns" about Pfizer's direction under Bourla and offered to help Starboard in its turnaround campaign. Starboard's Smith and Bourla are slated to meet in person next week, Smith said, confirming earlier reports.
Persons: Ian Read, Pfizer, Jeff Smith, Frank D'Amelio's, Smith, Albert Bourla, Starboard's Smith Organizations: Pfizer Inc, Economic, Pfizer Locations: Davos, Switzerland
Former Pfizer CEO Ian Read and ex-CFO Frank D'Amelio said Wednesday evening that they would step away from Starboard Value's campaign at the struggling pharmaceutical giant, just days after news of the activist's stake broke. Read and D'Amelio said they were "fully supportive" of Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla in a joint statement made via an investment bank and confirmed to be authentic. The duo had been in contact with a number of directors shortly before news of Starboard's stake broke Sunday evening, according to people familiar with the matter. For executives to join, and then walk away from an activist's campaign is highly unusual. It was also not immediately clear what impact, if any, the breakaway would have on Starboard's campaign.
Persons: Ian Read, Donald Trump, Frank D'Amelio, Read, D'Amelio, Albert Bourla, Jeff Smith, Bourla Organizations: Pfizer, White, Washington , D.C, Guggenheim Securities, dealmaking, CNBC, Autodesk, Wall Street, Corp Locations: Washington ,
Starboard Value has taken a $1 billion stake in drugmaker Pfizer. The hedge fund, headed by Jeff Smith, has become one of the most feared activist investors. AdvertisementPharmaceuticals giant Pfizer got a wake up call Sunday evening when one of Wall Street's most feared activist investors revealed a stake in the company. AdvertisementPfizer, with a market cap north of $160 billion, is among the largest companies Starboard's Smith has ever targeted. With less than a 10% stake Smith replaced the entire 12-person board and assumed the role of chairman.
Persons: Jeff Smith, , Smith, Starboard's Smith, Ian Read, Frank D'Amelio, Ken Squire, Paul Singer, Elliott, Carl Icahn, Dan Loeb, Peter Feld, Olive Garden's, Marc Benioff, Brontë Wittpenn, Brontë, Squire, they're, Albert Bourla, Bourla, wagered Organizations: Pfizer, Service, Pharmaceuticals, 13D, Investor, Lazard, Elliott Management, Icahn Enterprises, Cowen Group, AOL, Darden Restaurants, Olive Garden, Longhorn, Darden, Wall, San Francisco, Getty, Smithfield Foods, Bristol, Myers Squibb, Celgene, Autodesk, Starbucks Locations: Olive Garden, Fortune, America, Olive, Washington
Activist investor Starboard Value has a roughly $1 billion stake in pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and is seeking to mount a turnaround at the struggling company, according to people familiar with the matter. Starboard believes that Pfizer's current leadership, under CEO Albert Bourla, has stepped away from historically disciplined cost structure and investment in novel drugs. One particularly concerning example to Starboard was Pfizer's acquisition of Global Blood Therapeutics. Pfizer pulled a drug for sickle cell disease it got just two years ago via the roughly $5 billion acquisition. Still, more than $100 billion in shareholder value has evaporated since the Covid-19 pandemic faded largely into the rearview mirror.
Persons: Ian Read, Frank D'Amelio, Albert Bourla, Oxbryta, Read, Jeff Smith, Angelica Peebles Organizations: Pfizer, Blood Therapeutics, Autodesk, Street
Glenview Capital, a major CVS Health shareholder, is expected to meet with company leadership on Monday to lay out proposed fixes for the struggling business, according to people familiar with the matter, a potential precursor to an activist push. A CVS spokesperson said the company "maintains a regular dialogue with the investment community as part of our robust shareholder and analyst engagement program." Jeff Smith's Starboard Value also built a stake in the company in 2019, and engaged in discussion with the company's leadership as well. The company's insurance unit includes plans by Aetna for the Affordable Care Act, Medicare Advantage and Medicaid, along with dental and vision. In its second-quarter results in August, CVS announced a leadership shakeup based on the performance and outlook of its insurance unit.
Persons: Karen Lynch, Scott Ferguson, Jeff Smith's, Lynch, Brian Kane Organizations: Glenview, CVS Health, CVS, Teva Pharmaceuticals, Street Journal, Sachem, Capital Management, Aetna, American Medical Association, Affordable, Medicare Locations: Florida Keys, United States, Centene, Glenview
Rupert Murdoch at his annual party at Spencer House, St James' Place in London. Activist investor Starboard Value moved Friday to dissolve News Corp's dual-class share structure, a challenge to the Murdoch family's control over the Wall Street Journal parent, according to people familiar with the matter. News Corp's structure as of September gave Rupert Murdoch control over around 40% of the company's voting stock. Last November, Rupert Murdoch, 93, stepped down as chair of the board at both News Corp and Fox Corp. His son, Lachlan Murdoch, is the sole chair of News Corp., and continued his role as Fox Corp.'s executive chair and CEO.
Persons: Rupert Murdoch, St James, Murdoch, Jeff Smith, Smith, Lachlan Murdoch Organizations: Spencer, Wall Street Journal, News Corp, CNBC, REA Group of Australia, New York Times, Wall Street, Fox Corp, Reuters, Autodesk, Match, . News Corp, Sun, HarperCollins Locations: London
Activist involvement is heating up at Starbucks , increasing the likelihood that the coffee chain makes changes necessary to boost its languishing stock price. This one-two punch of activist news is sending shares of Starbucks higher by more than 2% Monday, to nearly $77 each. We upgraded our rating on Starbucks' stock to a buy-equivalent rating last month on hopes that Elliott's presence would lead to positive changes inside the company. Board seats aside, Elliott's exact plan to lift Starbucks' stock is not known. This is not the first time Elliott and Starboard have been in a Club stock at the same time.
Persons: Jeff Smith's, It's, John's, Elliott Management —, Jesse Cohn, Cohn, Satya Nadella, Elliott, Jim Cramer, Jim, That's, Laxman Narasimhan, Wells Fargo, Jim Cramer's, Beata Zawrzel Organizations: Street Journal, Olive Garden, Darden, CNBC, Microsoft, Starbucks, Club, Constellation Brands, Nurphoto, Getty Locations: China, North America, Salesforce, Krakow, Poland
Check out the companies making headlines in midday trading: JetBlue — Shares sank 13% after the airline said it plans to sell $400 million of five-year convertible senior notes. Hawaiian Electric also reported a consolidated net loss of $1.3 billion, or $11.74 per share, in the second quarter, including charges for goodwill impairment. KeyCorp — The Cleveland-based regional bank surged 13% after The Bank of Nova Scotia agreed to take a minority position, making KeyCorp the top performer in the S & P 500 on Monday. Monday.com — Shares surged about 12%, hitting a new 52-week high, after the Israel-based software company posted better-than-expected second-quarter results. Par Technology — The restaurant technology stock added 1.8% following a Jefferies upgrade to buy from hold.
Persons: , KeyCorp, Monday.com, FactSet, Jeff Smith, Wolfe, Piper Sandler, Robinhood, Alex Harring, Samantha Subin, Yun Li, Jesse Pound, Michelle Fox Organizations: JetBlue —, Hawaiian Electric Industries, Maui, Electric, Bank of Nova, Scotiabank, Street Journal, Starbucks, Qualcomm, Wolfe Research, Apple, Technology —, Jefferies Locations: — The Cleveland, Bank of Nova Scotia, Israel, Par
Activist investor Starboard Value has been engaging with the board of Autodesk , continuing its push to improve the company's operations and financial performance, according to a presentation viewed by CNBC. Starboard wants Autodesk's board to reassess whether CEO Andrew Anagnost, who has helmed the software maker for seven years, is the right person to lead the company forward, according to the presentation. The activist investor has shared the presentation's findings with Autodesk's board in recent weeks, after disclosing a $500 million stake in the company earlier this year. Starboard is also pushing for cost cuts and a realigned executive compensation plan, all of which it believes can drive margin improvement of up to 1,000 basis points. But Starboard has shown no signs of relenting, continuing to press the company and shareholders for change.
Persons: Andrew Anagnost, Anagnost, Dow Jones, Deborah Clifford, Jeff Smith Organizations: Autodesk, CNBC, GoDaddy Locations: Delaware, Salesforce
Activist Commentary: Starboard is a very successful activist investor and has extensive experience helping companies focus on operational efficiency and margin improvement. On July 15, Starboard sent a letter to Match highlighting various opportunities to improve operations, financial results and capital allocation. Match's EBITDA margin of 36% may be high for an average company, but it's low for a company like Match. Starboard thinks that this is a highly valuable asset that may be well-suited to operate as a private company. Starboard is not the first activist to launch a public campaign at Match.
Persons: Russell, Bernard Kim's, Jeff Smith, Thomas McInerney, Smith, Elliott, Ken Squire Organizations: IAC, Altaba, Yahoo, Elliott Management, Anson, 13D
Smith has been speaking with Match management about its plans, according to the letter, which was viewed by CNBC. In the letter, Smith wrote that Tinder enjoyed enviable and viral growth for years but has been stymied of late by sluggish innovation. But if Match is unable to more broadly turn around its business, the company should consider going private, Smith said. A Match spokesperson said in an emailed statement that the company is in communication with Starboard and other investors. Starboard isn't the first activist to put pressure on Match.
Persons: Jeff Smith, Starboard's Jeff Smith, Bernard Kim, Smith, Tinder, Kim, Anson, Elliott, Salesforce, Splunk Organizations: Bloomberg Television, CNBC, Wall Street, Zynga, Elliott Management, Autodesk, Cisco Locations: New York, U.S, Tinder, GoDaddy
Activist investor Starboard Value on Tuesday sent a letter to Autodesk's board, demanding that the company explain to shareholders who and what was behind an internal financial probe that sparked federal investigations and revealed deliberate misrepresentation of key financial metrics. The activist investor wrote in its letter that there had been "no consequences and no accountability for those involved in this purposeful misleading of shareholders." A representative for Autodesk did not immediately return a request for comment. The internal probe led to the reassignment of its chief financial officer and prompted inquiries from financial regulators and the Justice Department. The activist wrote that it had received "overwhelmingly positive feedback" from other investors frustrated with Autodesk's perceived "poor corporate governance."
Persons: Jeff Smith, Smith, Debbie Clifford Organizations: Autodesk, Justice Department, Company Locations: Delaware
Starboard's stake is valued at roughly $500 million, according to people familiar with the matter. The results of that probe led to the ouster of Autodesk's then-CFO, Deborah Clifford, who was moved to a different executive role within Autodesk. The probe found that executives manipulated reporting tied to company's contract billing structure, as Autodesk shifted back to upfront payments from annualized payments, to improve those metrics. The delayed disclosure came a little more than a week after the deadline to nominate directors closed. Starboard is weighing legal action in Delaware Chancery court to compel the reopening of Autodesk's nominating window and the delay of Autodesk's annual meeting, the people said.
Persons: Jeff Smith, Autodesk's, Deborah Clifford, Marc Benioff's Salesforce Organizations: Autodesk, Securities and Exchange Commission, Cisco, Wall Street, Sachem, Capital Management, Eminence Capital, Justice Department, SEC Locations: Delaware
A man is suing the government for $9.5 million after he crashed into a Black Hawk helicopter. AdvertisementA Massachusetts lawyer is suing the government for $9.5 million after he crashed into a Black Hawk helicopter while riding a snowmobile, The Associated Press reported. AdvertisementA Black Hawk helicopter. Michael CiagloThe Black Hawk helicopter is a multi-role aircraft designed to aid ground troops and armed escorts, according to the manufacturer Lockheed Martin's website. Black Hawk helicopters are perhaps most famous for their role in the mission that led to the killing of former Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in 2011.
Persons: Jeff Smith, , Smith, Douglas Desjardins, there's, Michael Ciaglo, Osama bin Laden Organizations: US Army, Service, Hawk, Associated Press, Army, AP, Black, Federal, snowmobilers, Lockheed Martin's Locations: Massachusetts, Al
In the fourth quarter, specifically, shares of Alphabet rose 6.75%. Third Point owned Alphabet for less than a year , while Druckenmiller traded in and out of the stock in recent quarters. Some Wall Street veterans merely pared back their exposure to Alphabet in the quarter, including David Tepper's Appaloosa Management . Baupost Group — the hedge fund run by value investor Seth Klarman — sold about 23% of its Alphabet stock over the same stretch. Berkshire parted ways with about 10 million shares of the iPhone maker, leaving the conglomerate with more than 905 million shares, worth $174.35 billion, at the end of the quarter.
Persons: Dan Loeb's, Stanley Druckenmiller, Druckenmiller, David Tepper, David Tepper's, Seth Klarman —, Jim Cramer, Michael Bury, Bill Ackman's, Tepper, Druckenmiller —, , Eli Lilly, Lilly, Danaher, Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway, Buffett, Jeff Smith's, Marc Benioff, shouldn't, Jim, Jim Cramer's, Justin Sullivan Organizations: Club, Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC, Microsoft, Apple, Nvidia, Palo Alto Networks, Wall, Management, Bill Ackman's Pershing, Capital Management, Duquesne Family, Trust, CNBC, Warren, Berkshire, BNSF Railway, Geico, Inclusive, Jim Cramer's Charitable Locations: Palo, 13Fs, Jim's, Mountain View , California
Starboard Value's Jeff Smith added to his GoDaddy holding while trimming his lucrative activist bet in Salesforce , according to a new regulatory filing. The hedge fund increased its stake in GoDaddy to nearly $925 million, making the web services company its biggest holding. Starboard continued to trim its stake in customer relations management software company Salesforce , which in 2022, he took an activist stake in. The filing also reveals a few new stakes for Starboard, including News Corp and Fortrea . CNBC had already reported on these stakes when Smith appeared at a conference in last year.
Persons: Jeff Smith, Smith, He's Organizations: Wharton, News Corp, Fortrea, CNBC Locations: Salesforce, GoDaddy, New York
Jeff Smith, CEO and chief investment officer of Starboard Value, L.P., speaks at a panel discussion at the SALT conference in Las Vegas May 14, 2014. Smith's remarks at the 13D Monitor Active Passive Investor Summit came after Reuters revealed last week that Starboard had become a News Corp shareholder, a prelude to a potential shake-up at Murdoch's media empire. "We believe separate news and real estate assets could help unlock $7 billion or more in value," he added. Starboard, which has pushed for changes at companies ranging from Salesforce (CRM.N) to Darden Restaurants <DRI.N,> would struggle to shake up News Corp without Murdoch's consent. If News Corp separates its real estate assets, shareholders would benefit, Smith said.
Persons: Jeff Smith, Rick Wilking, Rupert, Smith's, Smith, REA, Murdoch, Lachlan, Svea Herbst, Bayliss, Sharon Singleton, David Gregorio Our Organizations: SkyBridge, Rupert Murdoch's News Corp, 13D, Investor, Reuters, News Corp, Dow Jones, Street, Darden, Corp, Svea, Thomson Locations: Las Vegas
Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailStarboard Value CEO Jeff Smith on stake in News Corp., push for separation of divisionsStarboard Value CEO Jeff Smith joins 'Squawk on the Street' to discuss the Starboard's stake in News Corp., why he believes it makes sense for News Corp. to spin off its Dow Jones news division and its REA real estate division, and more.
Persons: Jeff Smith, REA Organizations: News Corp, Dow Jones
Starboard Value's Jeff Smith on Tuesday presented his newest investment ideas across different industries. "If management can successfully execute on a margin improvement plan, we believe GoDaddy shareholders will be meaningfully rewarded," he said. GoDaddy shares are up only about 1% this year, significantly underperforming the broader market. "If management can successfully execute on a margin improvement plan, we believe GoDaddy shareholders will be meaningfully rewarded," he said. GoDaddy shares are up only about 1% this year, significantly underperforming the broader market.
Persons: Jeff Smith, Smith, Dow Jones, Fortrea, Jeffrey Smith, David Paul Morris Organizations: 13D, News Corp, Dow, Group, Bloomberg, Getty Locations: New York City, Australia
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