Carl Icahn

Tough year for activist hedge funds; Icahn struggling

Jim Kim — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 09:42:41 -0400

We've noted that activist hedge fund managers are struggling this year. The best example is Carl Icahn. The New York Post reports his hedge funds are suffering their first losses since starting up in 2004. They're currently down roughly 6 percent for the year. Of course, a lot of hedge funds are suffering right now. Shares of Icahn Enterprises, which will report earnings this week, are down nearly 50 percent this year. His biggest loss has been on his Motorola investment, which is down nearly 30 percent since February. Yahoo has been a big loser as well. Icahn got a seat on the board, but has lost nearly $300 million on his investment. Some financial firms have really stuck it to him. Guaranty Financial Group's shares are down about 70 percent since Icahn began his agitating. And homebuilder WCI Communities has filed for bankruptcy, which could wipe out most of his stake.

For more:
- here's the New York Post article

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Just desserts? Carl Icahn to face Sarbanes-Oxley

Carl Icahn, blogger, has bigger plans for site

Jim Kim — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 13:50:43 -0400

When news hit that Carl Icahn was planning to blog, a lot of people were ready to tune in. He made the world wait. But after nearly half a year, The Icahn Report, went live last month. You can read all about his views on the Yahoo situation and whether he and Jerry Yang can work together. His media ambitions seem to have risen a bit. The New York Times reports he has just hired a journalist from Thomson Reuters for his site, which apparently aims to add reportage to supplement his take on the world. This is not a bad idea at all. Communicating directly to the world, bypassing the media, is certainly in vogue in politics. Not that Icahn has gotten a lot of bad press. Some might think this may prove to be a distraction at a time when returns aren't great. But, ahem, I doubt his investors will raise the issue with him.

For more:
- here's the Times item

Pain spreads to East Hampton

Jim Kim — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 14:00:14 -0400

So how bad is the downturn on Wall Street? Bad enough to spread to East Hampton, a favorite play area for the made-it Wall Street set. Tax revenues in the town are down 42 percent from last year. The East Hampton Star also reports the town faces a budget deficit of up to $12 million, which has forced it to turn to the capital markets for some bridging funds. Residents include the likes of Carl Icahn and Ron Baron, who paid $103 million for an oceanfront estate last year. It seems like residents could collectively come up with a solution, if they stopped to think about it. The town apparently is considering ending roadside leaf collection, notes the New York Times. I'm not sure that will get their attention. For now, residents have larger bailout issues on their mind, involving the federal government.

For more:
- here's the New York Times article

Could Microsoft return to the Yahoo deal table?

Jim Kim — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 16:07:00 -0400

We've been saying all along that we haven't seen the last of Microsoft when it comes to a Yahoo deal. Microsoft has announced that it will not only support Carl Icahn's bid to install a new Yahoo board, but it will consider coming back to the takeover table. Will the hint of a renewed bid from the software giant be enough to sway shareholders at the Aug. 1 annual meeting? Hard to say. Keep an eye on proxy services and how they fall on the issue. The stock soared on the news. This, of course, is no guarantee of a deal. But at a minimum it is some savvy, hardball maneuvering by the Redmond giant. It may yet get the deal it wants. That would be something.

For more:
- here's the AP article

The Icahn you never knew

Jim Kim — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 07:33:31 -0400

Way before Microsoft-Yahoo thrust his name into the spotlight yet again, Carl Icahn was a hedge fund industry icon. But did we really know him? I would suggest none of us really know the financier-celebrities. Some have an army of PR people on their payrolls, and they're adept at working the media. Others take the reclusive route. A MarketWatch columnist spent some time with him and paints a picture of "a charmer. He is funnier than Jay Leno, more good-naturedly acerbic than Don Rickles, and does more straight-talking than John McCain." And this: "You can't schmooze or con him. Icahn figures that the media need him more than he needs any of us (and he might be right)." This at a dinner affair. Interesting stuff. A few questions about Microsoft-Yahoo would have been nice. But the nice chat may have ended earlier.

For more:
- here's the column

Yang beats back at hedge funds

Jim Kim — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 13:51:24 -0400

For Jerry Yang, the erstwhile founder and chief of Yahoo, the barbarians are at the gate. He can smell the likes of Carl Icahn and his hedge fund hordes. And yet he is holding on. So how long can he hold on? The hedge fund guys certainly are not going to give up lightly, but it seems that he's holding out less for a miracle than for a more solid deal. Business Week Online reports he wants some guarantees that a deal will hold its value and that there will be some protection against a long regulatory driven delay. So despite his best efforts, it seems like in fighting only for a better deal, he has lost the larger war. What will be interesting is how Microsoft deals with him once the deal is done.

For more:
- here's the article

Handicapping Silicon Valley vs. Wall Street

Jim Kim — Tue, 27 May 2008 21:47:47 -0400

The battle for the heart and soul of Yahoo is shaping up to be a real doozy. In one corner: The Carl Icahn-led hedge fund crowd, with a long list of luminaries that are irate at the Yahoo board for not selling to Microsoft. In the other: Jerry Yang, not exactly a seasoned veteran of proxy wars, and his band of technology industry big wigs. One casualty may have already emerged, with former Yahoo director Edward Kozel stepping down last week for personal reasons. Most people are giving the Wall Street crowd the edge. But it is likely to be a memorable battle. In many ways, it is Silicon Valley, where Yahoo is still something of a darling, versus the cigar-chomping Wall Street guys. Yahoo is definitely the underdog.

For more:
- here's the MarketWatch article

Hedge funds' 13D workaround challenged

Tue, 27 May 2008 06:59:54 -0400

There was a time when an investment firm's disclosure that it had purchased more than 5 percent of company's stock was big news. It often suggested that a company might be in play. But hedge funds these days can get around having to make a 13D disclosure via swaps. That practice is now being challenged by CSX, which has filed a suit charging two hedge funds: The Children's Investment Fund (TCI) and 3G Capital Partners. Both used complex swap agreements with investment banks to mask a 12 percent ownership stake in the rail operator, reports the New York Post. Hedge funds obviously do not want to tip their hand publicly. It's unclear how widespread this practice is. The Post suggests that Carl Icahn is among those who have used the ploy.

For more:
- here's the article

Hedge funds line up behind Icahn on Yahoo

Thu, 22 May 2008 06:59:57 -0400

Yahoo may have been able to stare down Microsoft at the bargaining table, but we may yet see big M&A fees from a deal. The catalyst in all this remains Carl Icahn. Following his lead, an all-star cast of hedge funds managers have aligned themselves against Jerry Yang and Yahoo, which likely wasn't counting on this sort of shareholder response. T. Boone Pickens told the New York Post, "When I saw what he did, I jumped in behind him." Others include John Paulson, still basking in the glow of his stunning 2007 ($3 billion) and Dan Loeb of Third Point. The Post reports Farallon Capital Management, Appaloosa Management and Mason Capital Management are among those who have written Yahoo! board members to expressing their displeasure.

For more:
- here's the New York Post article

Icahn now main player in Microsoft-Yahoo drama

Tue, 20 May 2008 06:59:58 -0400

The key man in the still unfolding Microsoft-Yahoo pas de deux is not Steve Ballmer, not Jerry Yang, or even Eric Schmidt. It's investor activist Carl Icahn. The New York Times notes that while he has proposed an all-new slate of directors, he really does not want to jump onto the board. What he wants is a deal--with Microsoft. As Microsoft-Yahoo Round 1 wound down, we made the point here that the possibility of a deal wasn't dead. We suggested that Microsoft may likely come riding back into the scene if Yahoo stumbled. Well Icahn and his merry band of fellow disgruntled shareholders have pushed the issue. Microsoft has come riding back, with a limited proposal to buy Yahoo's search business. You'd have to think there may be larger possibilities this time around.

For more:
- here's the New York Times article