Contrarian Corpus

356 documents showing 241–300

Pershing Square 2016-04-26

Multiple (Pershing Square portfolio: MDLZ, APD, ZTS, QSR, CP, HHC, VRX, NOMD, HLF-short)

Mondelez EBIT margin of 13.1% is far below peers (Kraft Heinz 26.5%, Hershey 20.0%) and well short of 3G playbook results

N3 V3 C2
Muddy Waters 2016-04-21

Ströer SE & Co. KGaA SAX

Ströer's digital-transformation narrative is hollow: organic growth is 10x overstated, EBITDA and FCF are inflated, and insider self-dealing rivals Chinese fraud cases — short.

N4 V2 C1
Starboard Value 2016-03-24

Yahoo! Inc. YHOO

Yahoo's board has failed for years on operations, capital allocation, and governance; replace it with Starboard's nine nominees to run a credible Core Business sale and unlock value.

N3 V2 C1
Muddy Waters 2016-03-08

Casino Guichard-Perrachon SA CO

Casino's claimed France recovery is fiction: Mercialys property gains inflate EBITDA, suppliers are being stretched, and the CFO's earnings-call language shows deception clusters.

N5 V1 C1
Engaged Capital 2016-02-18

Outerwall Inc. OUTR

Outerwall's cash-rich Redbox/Coinstar business trades at a 3x EBITDA capital-allocation discount; halting buybacks for a large dividend and running a sale process unlocks 150%+ upside.

N4 V3 C3
Pershing Square 2016-01-28

Pershing Square portfolio (multi-holding LP update: MDLZ, VRX, APD, ZTS, CP, QSR, HHC, PAH, FNMA/FMCC, HLF short)

2015 was -20.5% but portfolio trades at substantial discount to intrinsic value

N4 V3 C3
Muddy Waters 2016-01-13

Groupe Casino CO

Casino is a highly-levered, deteriorating French retailer being hollowed out by controlling shareholder Naouri and using property-sale gains to inflate EBITDA; equity worth ~€7 per share.

N4 V2 C1
SpringOwl 2016-01-13

Viacom VIAB

Viacom's absent chair Redstone and overpaid CEO Dauman have driven a lost decade; replacing leadership, cutting $400M SG&A and launching OTT unlocks up to 135% upside to $95.90.

N4 V2 C2
Starboard Value 2016-01-06

Yahoo! Inc. YHOO

Three years of failed turnaround have collapsed Yahoo's Core Business; Starboard demands a competitive sale process and leadership change, or it will launch an election contest.

N4 V2 C2
Muddy Waters 2015-12-16

Groupe Casino Guichard-Perrachon SA CO FP

Casino's financial statements mask 8.9x leverage and inflated EBITDA via related-party Mercialys real-estate sales; shares are worth €6.91 vs €48.97, an 86% decline.

N4 V2 C2
SpringOwl 2015-12-01

Yahoo! Inc. YHOO

Yahoo's Core is mismanaged but fixable — replace Mayer with an operator CEO, cut headcount two-thirds, bring Liberty in as a partner, and shares triple from $35 to $113.

N4 V3 C3
Citron Research 2015-10-21

Valeant Pharmaceuticals VRX

Philidor and R&O Pharmacy are the same entity — evidence of phantom accounts to book revenue

N5 V3 C3
Muddy Waters 2015-10-15

TeliaSonera AB TLSN

Short TeliaSonera: disclosed Uzbekistan bribery is only the tip — ~SEK 17bn of suspect Eurasia/Nepal payments plus a multi-billion DOJ FCPA settlement threaten the dividend and cut stub fair value to SEK 27-29.

N4 V2 C1
Starboard Value 2015-08-10

Yahoo! Inc. YHOO

Yahoo's Core Business is collapsing because of $550M of self-inflicted cost bloat; cutting costs and replacing the Microsoft search deal can restore profitability without touching Alibaba.

N4 V2 C3
Pershing Square 2015-08-01

Herbalife Ltd. HLF

Herbalife pays multi-level royalties on unlimited downlines, violating China's pyramid-sales laws

N5 V3 C2
Pershing Square 2015-06-26

Herbalife Ltd. HLF

CEO Johnson on video admits Herbalife participation is a 'lottery ticket' with 'pyramiding'

N3 V1 C1
Greenlight Capital 2015-05-04

Pioneer Natural Resources PXD

Pioneer and the shale 'frackers' burn cash and destroy value on every BOE developed; their $27B market cap rests on proved reserves worth $3-8B — buy oil, not PXD.

N5 V3 C3
Pershing Square 2015-04-28

Multiple (portfolio update: AGN, VRX, CP, APD, ZTS, HHC, QSR, PAH, FNMA/FMCC, HLF)

Allergan delivered 89% return as Valeant bid catalyzed auction ending at Actavis $242 vs. $128 cost

N3 V3 C2
Engaged Capital 2015-04-22

Rovi Corporation ROVI

Rovi's entrenched board destroyed a decade of shareholder value while promising 'double-digit growth next year' every year; Engaged's nominees Lockwood and Rau bring operating credibility the incumbents lack.

N4 V3 C3
Trian Partners 2015-04-22

E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company DD

DuPont is a chronically underperforming conglomerate; electing Trian's four nominees forces structural review, cost cuts, and governance reform to unlock $120+/share by 2017 — a 21% IRR.

N5 V4 C4
Trian Partners 2015-04-21

E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company DD

DuPont is bottom-quartile under Ellen Kullman; electing Trian's four nominees unlocks $120/share by 2017 by cutting $2-4bn of excess corporate costs and ending 'crony' compensation.

N5 V4 C4
Trian Partners 2015-04-21

E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company (DuPont) DD

DuPont is a chronically underperforming conglomerate bloated with $2-4bn of excess costs; putting Trian on the board unlocks a $120+/share, 21% IRR path by 2017.

N5 V3 C3
Trian Partners 2015-04-17

E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company (DuPont) DD

DuPont is a chronic underperformer under CEO Kullman; electing Nelson Peltz and three nominees unlocks $2-4bn of excess costs and drives DuPont stock to $120 by 2017 (21% IRR).

N4 V3 C3
Trian Partners 2015-04-13

E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company DD

DuPont is a bloated conglomerate hiding $2-4bn of excess corporate costs and crony compensation; Trian's board nominees can unlock $120/share by 2017 — a 21% IRR.

N4 V3 C3
Muddy Waters 2015-04-09

Noble Group NOBL

Muddy Waters is short Noble Group: a cash-burning commodities trader that manufactures EBITDA via sham affiliate transactions like the PT ALH $46M negative-goodwill scheme to keep credit flowing.

N4 V1 C1
Greenlight Capital 2015-04-07

AerCap Holdings AER

AerCap, the largest independent aircraft lessor, trades at 8.5x earnings; the equity should rerate as the credit markets already have post-ILFC deal, supported by low-teens ROE and ~10% EPS CAGR.

N4 V3 C3
Marcato 2015-03-01

The Bank of New York Mellon BK

BNY Mellon has squandered the 2007 Mellon merger under CEO Hassell; cutting ~10,000 excess FTEs and installing new leadership closes the State Street gap for 114% upside.

N4 V4 C4
Pershing Square 2015-02-26

Herbalife HLF

Former distributors lost $5K-$45K each chasing promised income that never materialized

N4 V1 C1
Trian Partners 2015-02-17

E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company (DuPont) DD

DuPont is an underperforming conglomerate burdened with $2-4bn of excess costs; elect Trian's four nominees to drive separation, cost cuts, and board accountability.

N5 V3 C3
Sandell 2015-02-01

Brookdale Senior Living Inc. BKD

BKD trades at a wide discount because its owned real estate is buried inside an OpCo; a tax-free PropCo/OpCo REIT spin plus governance overhaul unlocks ~$49/share.

N4 V3 C3
Pershing Square 2015-01-29

Multiple (Pershing Square portfolio - annual update)

2014 net returns of 40.4% vs S&P 500's 13.7%, driven by Allergan (+19.1%), CP (+7.0%), and Herbalife short (+6.1%)

N3 V3 C3
Pershing Square 2015-01-29

Multiple (Pershing Square Holdings portfolio: Allergan, Herbalife, Air Products, Canadian Pacific, Restaurant Brands International, Platform Specialty Products, Zoetis)

PSH returned 40.4% net in 2014 vs 13.7% for S&P 500

N3 V3 C2
Pershing Square 2015-01-29

Multiple (PSH portfolio: AGN, HLF short, APD, CP, QSR/BKW, PAH, ZTS, HHC, FNMA/FMCC)

Concentrated activist strategy delivered 40.4% net returns in 2014 vs. 13.7% for S&P 500

N3 V3 C3
Muddy Waters 2014-11-20

Superb Summit International Group Limited 1228.HK

Superb Summit's HK$773m of reported revenue belongs to a coal company it never owned, and its HK$1.5bn JFT acquisition is a sham valuation routed through a mystery intermediary.

N4 V2 C2
Pershing Square 2014-11-06

Herbalife Ltd. HLF

Herbalife is the largest and best-managed pyramid scheme in the world

N4 V2 C1
Sandell 2014-11-01

TransCanada Corp TRP

TransCanada is an undervalued conglomerate; spinning off Energy and doing an all-in dropdown into TCP — Spectra-style — re-rates the parts to roughly $75/share.

N4 V4 C4
Starboard Value 2014-09-11

Darden Restaurants, Inc. DRI

Darden's brands and real estate are worth $67-$86/share vs. $48 today — replace the entire board to execute the Brinker playbook: operational turnaround, real-estate separation, SRG spin-off.

N5 V3 C3
Muddy Waters 2014-07-06

NQ Mobile NQ

NQ's July 3 disclosures vindicate the fraud thesis: the audit chair resigned, PwC will never sign off, and insiders front-ran the news by dumping stock.

N4 V2 C2
Muddy Waters 2014-06-04

NQ Mobile NQ

NQ's own investigation committee confirmed widespread data tampering — the same pattern that preceded Sino-Forest's collapse — so Muddy Waters maintains its fraud rating.

N3 V2 C1
Starboard Value 2014-05-22

Darden Restaurants, Inc. DRI

Darden's Board destroyed value by selling Red Lobster for ~1x EBITDA against shareholder will; replacing 12 directors unlocks a real estate spin, cost-cut turnaround, and peer-catchup upside.

N4 V2 C2
Spruce Point Capital 2014-05-20

iRobot Corp IRBT

IRBT is a narrow consumer-vacuum company riding a robotics bubble; aggressive accounting, insider selling and a decaying moat point to $20-$25, or 25-40% downside.

N4 V3 C3
Greenlight Capital 2014-05-05

athenahealth ATHN

athenahealth is the poster child of the cloud 'bubble basket' — strip Morgan Stanley's fantasy margin and revenue-per-doctor assumptions and the stock falls 80%+ toward a $50 adjusted DCF.

N5 V2 C2
Marcato 2014-04-22

Sotheby's BID

Sotheby's sits on $1bn+ of excess capital while insiders own 0.8%; Third Point's slate brings aligned ownership to drive capital return, cost discipline, and higher ROE.

N4 V3 C3
Muddy Waters 2014-04-13

NQ Mobile NQ

NQ Mobile's surprise Q4 loss and negative cash flow under PwC's tougher audit confirm Muddy Waters' fraud thesis: revenue, acquisitions, and cash balances are all fabricated.

N4 V2 C1
Carl Icahn 2014-04-01

eBay EBAY

13D Monitor backs Icahn's eBay campaign: the board's Silicon-Valley-insulated directors can't even recognize their conflicts, so Icahn needs two seats and a PayPal spin to fix it.

N3 V2 C2
Third Point 2014-04-01

Sotheby's BID

Sotheby's Board has presided over a 42% EPS collapse despite global wealth tailwinds; electing Third Point's three nominees can restore owner perspective and more than double pro-forma EPS.

N4 V3 C3
Starboard Value 2014-03-31

Darden Restaurants, Inc. DRI

Darden's rushed Red Lobster spin is the wrong deal at the wrong time — it traps ~$850M of real estate value and blocks a $1-2B REIT unlock; shareholders must call a Special Meeting to stop it.

N5 V3 C3
Trian Partners 2014-02-19

PepsiCo, Inc. PEP

PepsiCo has chronically underperformed because its 'Power of One' holding-company structure suffocates Frito-Lay and Pepsi; separate them into two focused companies and the combined value will re-rate materially higher.

N5 V3 C2
Elliott Management 2014-01-13

Juniper Networks JNPR

Juniper underperformed NASDAQ by 104% over 3 years — value destruction is avoidable

N5 V4 C4
Muddy Waters 2013-12-19

NQ Mobile, Inc. NQ

NQ Mobile's independent-committee fraud probe is structurally compromised; Muddy Waters offers to fund Plante & Moran to audit the auditors and protect investors from another China-fraud whitewash.

N4 V2 C2
Muddy Waters 2013-11-12

NQ Mobile NQ

NQ Mobile's credible-looking US management is a veneer hiding a $1.1bn fraud — Mathison conceals JCAP ties, Co-CEO Khan knows nothing, and pre-IPO partners include a convicted racketeer.

N4 V1 C1
Muddy Waters 2013-11-06

NQ Mobile NQ

NQ Mobile's largest purported revenue source, Yidatong, is a controlled shell whose offices, tax filings, and carrier records all contradict NQ's story — we maintain a <$1 target.

N4 V2 C1
Muddy Waters 2013-11-01

NQ Mobile (NetQin) NQ

Muddy Waters maintains its sub-$1 price target on NQ Mobile after Chinese media reporting confirms that ZTE, Huawei, Lenovo and Coolpad never had the pre-installation partnerships NQ claims.

N3 V1 C1
Muddy Waters 2013-10-29

NQ Mobile NQ

NQ Mobile's Oct 25 rebuttal of Muddy Waters' fraud report contained ten provable lies — Yidatong is NQ, revenue and market share are fabricated; reiterating price target under $1.

N4 V2 C2
Muddy Waters 2013-10-24

NQ Mobile Inc. NQ

NQ Mobile is a 'China Fraud 2.0': 72%+ of China revenue is fictitious, real market share is 1.4% not 55%, and the $127.9M cash balance is likely forged — target price under $1.

N4 V2 C2
Muddy Waters 2013-08-12

American Tower Corporation AMT

AMT's $811M purchase of 4,456 NIHD towers at 21x EBITDA is a de facto loan to a near-bankrupt counterparty, masking weak growth and compounding accounting red flags from the prior Site Sharing deal.

N4 V1 C1
Starboard Value 2013-08-02

Office Depot, Inc. ODP

Office Depot's entrenched board has destroyed value for years; replace four incumbents with Starboard's retail-experienced nominees to lift operating margins from 0.9% to 7.3% — standalone or merged with OfficeMax.

N4 V3 C3
Muddy Waters 2013-08-01

American Tower AMT

AMT's international growth is a de facto lending / FX carry trade masking deteriorating economics, and ~$250M appears to have vanished from its Site Sharing acquisition.

N4 V1 C1
Glenview 2013-08-01

Health Management Associates HMA

HMA's incumbent board destroyed 25% of independent value before rushing a sale to Community Health Systems; Glenview's Fresh Alternative board protects the deal and recovers upside.

N4 V2 C2
Muddy Waters 2013-07-17

American Tower Corp AMT

AMT is a Strong Sell at $44.57 (40% downside): a $250M Brazil accounting discrepancy hints at fraud, international growth is a disguised lending/carry trade, and Wi-Fi will erode tower economics.

N4 V2 C2