[TradeSmith Daily]( Special-Situation Central: Activist Investor Activity in Colgate, Crown Holdings, and PayPal
Happy Monday. I hope you had a safe, relaxing, and enjoyable Thanksgiving weekend. To start the week off, weâre bringing you the newest issue of Special-Situation Central. When we launched Special-Situation Central in [August]( we shared that some of the situations we would track and analyze included takeover plays, breakups and spin-offs, stock splits, share buybacks, recapitalizations, activist targets, and more. Wall Street pros refer to these as “special-situation” investments. And theyâre everywhere. Today, the team is going to share some activist targets. These are companies that large investors take a meaningful stake in because they believe that the company could be run better, and that with better performance, increased shareholder value will follow. There are three companies we are going to look at today that have received investments from activists:
- Colgate-Palmolive Co. (CL)
- Crown Holdings Inc. (CCK)
- PayPal Holdings Inc. (PYPL)
Now, all of these companies are in our Red Zone, meaning our Health Indicator has determined that they are in an unhealthy state. But activist investors donât invest in companies to lose money. And whether through gentle prodding or blunt criticism, activist investors try to do one thing: make their shares worth more than what they paid for them. So, while these stocks are in the Red Zone now, itâs worth putting them on your radar and following along to see if these activistsâ suggestions start working. Because then, when you see a TradeSmith Early Entry Signal on one of them, youâll be ready to pounce if you so choose. Iâll let the team take it away from here. Enjoy your Monday â Keith Kaplan, CEO, TradeSmith RECOMMENDED LINK [Mike Got a 1,100% Win When He Added THIS to His Plan](
Veteran investor Mike Burnick has problems, sure... but stock picking isnât one. By making [1 little tweak]( to the way he picks stocks â Mike discovered a way you could squeeze 3x, 3.4x, even 8x more profit out of the SAME stocks. It has nothing to do with options, derivatives, or cryptocurrencies... When Mike started making this tweak, he says: âI got a 1,100% winner in the first 30 days, and then I just kept winning and winning.â [You can learn more about his unconventional approach right here (video)](. Activist Target No. 1: Colgate-Palmolive Co. (CL)
Activist investor Dan Loebâs hedge fund, Third Point Management, has taken a reported $1 billion stake in Colgate. Loeb is known for letter-writing campaigns that critique management teams. After revealing a significant stake in Walt Disney Co. (DIS) this August, he wrote a letter to Disney CEO Bob Chapek about five initiatives Chapek should consider, one of which was to spin off ESPN into its own company. Loebâs interest in Colgate is not in the oral care or house cleaning products the company is best known for, however. Rather, he sees potential in its pet food business. Colgateâs pet-nutrition division brought in $909 million in Q2 2022, a 5.3% increase from the previous year. To keep expanding, Colgate plans to purchase three U.S. dry pet food manufacturing plants from Red Collar Pet Foods for $700 million. Colgate is also building a new food manufacturing facility in Kansas, and in April it completed the acquisition of a canned pet food facility in Italy. Loeb believes that if the pet food business were spun off from Colgate, it would have a valuation of $20 billion. A study from Deloitte and Edge Consulting Group found that between 2000 and 2014, spinoff stocks generated a 22% return within the first 12 months of trading. Thatâs even better than the 14% return of the parent company that performed the spinoff. Itâs also important to keep in mind that the dot-com bubble and Great Recession both took place between 2000 and 2014, so even in tough conditions, spinoff stocks have generally performed well during their first year of trading. If Colgate were to follow Loebâs advice and spin off the pet division, the data shows it could be a profit opportunity. CL stock is down 8.78% this year as of this writing and has a medium-risk VQ of 16.21%. Activist Target No. 2: Crown Holdings Inc. (CCK)
Carl Icahn has been an activist investor for decades, and heâs known for trying to force companies to make changes that can range from management shakeups to overhauls of entire business processes. His most recent target is Crown Holdings, one of the worldâs largest manufacturers of beverage and food cans, with 200 factories in 40 countries. Icahn reportedly wants the company to increase its share buybacks and sell off noncore businesses. Crown bought a company five years ago that makes packaging used for transporting goods, and it also has a business unit that makes aerosol cans. Both of those could be candidates to be sold. CCK stock is down 26.63% this year as of this writing and has a medium-risk VQ of 26.08%. RECOMMENDED LINK [Will Americaâs next big bankruptcy catch Biden by Surprise?](
A 73-yr-old wealthy U.S. entrepreneur says that after watching a crypto exchange go bust, the UK pension system nearly collapse, and many stocks fall by 95%, we are about to experience a major NEW crisis here in America. He says itâs going to catch the Biden administration and almost everyone else by surprise, although the signs should be obvious to everyone. Weâve posted his warning (and 4 steps to prepare) on our website.
[Click here to view free of charge]( Activist Target No. 3: PayPal Holdings Inc. (PYPL)
Founded by Paul Singer, Elliott Investment Management is known as a pit bull in the activist investing world. It took on the entire country of Argentina after it defaulted on its sovereign debt and Elliott owned its bonds, detaining an Argentinian naval vessel as a pressure tactic. In August, PayPal announced that Elliott Management had a $2 billion stake in PYPL. During that same time, PayPal also announced that it had brought in a new chief financial officer and that it would roll out a $15 billion share repurchasing plan. PayPal is also planning an investor day in early 2023 to share operational, capital allocation, and strategic updates. This could be more for Elliott Investment Management than shareholders so that PayPal can show it is being active in making changes. Still, if it has a plan on how to improve operations, spend capital more wisely, and make better strategic decisions, it will ultimately benefit shareholders. PYPL stock is down nearly 60% this year as of this writing and has a high-risk VQ of 36.53%. Take care,
Team TradeSmith P.S. Eight hundred “activist investors” were identified in 2020, but the number is likely much higher today. That translates to hundreds more opportunities to take advantage of in 2023. Speaking of which, TradeSmith CEO Keith Kaplan has discovered what he believes is the top strategy for today's market. And it has nothing to do with buying stocks, bonds, or cryptos. [Click here]( for a quick over-the-shoulder demo of what could be the ultimate income solution. Best of TradeSmith
The chart below represents the best-performing open positions over the last two years, as recommended by our software.
[Download now on the Apple Store](
[Get It On Google Play]( [866.385.2076](tel:+866-385-2076) | support@tradesmith.com ©TradeSmith, LLC. All Rights Reserved. You may not reproduce, modify, copy, sell, publish, distribute, display or otherwise use any portion of the content without the prior written consent of TradeSmith. TradeSmith is not registered as an investment adviser and operates under the publishersâ exemption of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940. The investments and strategies discussed in TradeSmithâs content do not constitute personalized investment advice. Any trading or investment decisions you take are in reliance on your own analysis and judgment and not in reliance on TradeSmith. There are risks inherent in investing and past investment performance is not indicative of future results. TradeSmith P.O. Box 340087 Tampa, FL 33694 [Terms of Use]( [Privacy Policy]( To unsubscribe or change your email preferences, please [click here](. [tradesmith logo]