Q: Pat, here and there I’ve read about “activist investors” involved with certain companies and wonder how beneficial, if at all, they are to smaller shareholders. They strike me as likely focused on shorter-term gains for that company in order to reflect positively on their own bottom lines. What do you think? Thanks and cheers!
A: In general, activist investors are individuals or groups buying a company’s shares with the intention of boosting shareholder value and ultimately pushing up its share price.
Activist investing has surged in the past decade, led by a relatively small but powerful group of hedge funds. They follow different strategies, but all have the same goal: wringing the greatest possible profits from the company’s assets.
This could include forcing a change in its board of directors, bringing in new management, selling off underperforming divisions, spinning off units to unlock value, or even selling the entire company.
The activist targets don’t always follow the advice; when they do, that advice doesn’t always bring the desired effect. But it does generally draw investor attention to a target stock’s underlying value.
The activists hold the same shares as other investors, so we think that their self-interest can generally be a positive for all shareholders. shareholders…
Privacy Policy and Terms of Use
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