According to a study by Barclays bank, the number of activist campaigns dropped 32% in the second quarter of 2023 from a year earlier. However, activist activity will likely rebound in the second half of the year. Even so, we feel there are better options for your new buying than these three targeted firms (includes IHS Holding in the box).


NRG ENERGY INC....

Due to opposition from U.S. regulators, Algonquin Power recently cancelled its $2.65 billion U.S. purchase of Kentucky Power Co., which generates and distributes electricity to 228,000 customers in the state.


As well, activist investment firm Starboard Value recently disclosed that it now owns 7.5% of Algonquin....

YUM CHINA HOLDINGS INC. $59 is a buy. The company (New York symbol YUMC; Consumer Sector; Shares outstanding: 417.1 million; Market cap: $24.6 billion; Dividend yield: 0.9%; Takeover Target Rating: Medium; www.yumchina.com) is China’s largest fast-food operator with over 13,000 outlets in 1,800 cities, mainly under the KFC and Pizza Hut banners.


In November 2016, former parent company Yum! Brands Inc....

In the past few years, several big Canadian retailers, including Loblaw and Canadian Tire, have unlocked the hidden value of their real estate holdings by setting up publicly traded real estate investment trusts (REITs).


Shares of furniture retailer Leon’s rose 10% after it announced its own plans to spin out its real estate holdings as a REIT....

A: Dow Inc., $52.83, symbol DOW on New York (Shares outstanding: 707.3 million; Market cap: $37.1 billion; Manufacturing sector; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.dow.com), is one of the world’s largest makers of plastics and specialty chemicals....

Here’s Part One of the most-recent letter I sent to our Portfolio Management clients in May 2023:

“Many investors wonder what to expect next from interest rates, following the rise they began in early 2020, around the time when the COVID-19 pandemic first appeared.

My best guess is that the rise in interest rates has stalled, at least for now. I can’t say for sure, of course, and neither can anybody else....

VALMONT INDUSTRIES INC., $277.52, symbol VMI on New York, is a leader in designing and manufacturing highly engineered products and services for the global infrastructure and agriculture markets.

Its infrastructure products include light standards, traffic lights, sign structures, bridge structures, mass transit poles, etc....

HECLA MINING CO., $5.92, is a buy. The company (symbol HL on New York), explores for, mines and processes silver and gold in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

Most of Hecla’s silver output comes from three sites: the Greens Creek mine in Alaska; the Lucky Friday project in Idaho; and the San Sebastian mine in Mexico....

TRANSALTA RENEWABLES INC., $13.24, Toronto symbol RNW, is now a hold.

The company owns 26 wind and solar farms, 11 hydroelectric facilities, eight natural gas generation plants, two solar power facilities, a natural gas pipeline and one battery storage facility....

MICROSOFT CORP., $345.57, Nasdaq symbol MSFT, is a buy for aggressive investors.

The company is the world’s largest computer software firm. Its main product is the Windows operating system, which powers about 85% of the world’s personal computers....