Activist Starboard takes a stake in Vertiv, and an opportunity to boost margins is in sight

Kobus Louw | E+ | Getty Images Company: Vertiv Holdings (VRT) Business: Vertiv designs, manufactures and services critical digital infrastructure technologies and life cycle services for data centers, communication networks, and commercial and industrial environments. The company went public through a SPAC merger in the first quarter of 2020 with GS Acquisition Holdings, a SPAC co-sponsored by an affiliate of […]

Stock pickers are still positioned for a Fed ‘soft landing,’ mutual fund holdings show

Traders on the floor of the NYSE, Oct. 21, 2022. Source: NYSE Professional stock pickers are still betting that the U.S. economy could skirt a recession, according to Bank of America analysis. Actively managed mutual funds have maintained their pro-cyclical stance with overweights in consumer discretionary and industrials, while having a sizeable underweight in consumer staples, Bank of America’s monthly analysis […]

Two potential opportunities for value creation emerge as Starboard takes a stake in Salesforce

Gary Burchell | Getty Images Company: Salesforce (CRM) Business: Salesforce is a global leader in customer relationship management (CRM) technology that brings companies and their clients together. It was founded in 1999 and is a pioneer in the cloud software space. It started as a tool to help enable sales teams to increase their productivity while also improving the end […]

SPAC liquidations top $12 billion this year as sponsors grapple with tough market, new buyback tax

Chamath Palihapitiya, Social Capital Founder and CEO CNBC A new buyback tax has motivated more and more SPAC sponsors to close up shop before the year-end, adding another headwind to the blank-check space already roiled by a tough market environment. A total of 27 SPAC deals, worth $12.8 billion, have been liquidated this year, according to data from SPAC Research. […]

Dan Loeb’s Third Point builds stake in Colgate, sees value in pet food business in potential spinoff

In this article CL Follow your favorite stocksCREATE FREE ACCOUNT Daniel Loeb Simon Dawson | Bloomberg | Getty Images Dan Loeb’s Third Point has built a sizeable stake in consumer giant Colgate-Palmolive, according to CNBC’s David Faber. Loeb sees hidden value in Colgate’s subsidiary, Hill’s Pet Nutrition, a pet food company, if it were spun off. The investor believes as […]

Activist investor Starboard reveals stake in Salesforce, sees significant opportunity

In this article CRM Follow your favorite stocksCREATE FREE ACCOUNT Jeffrey Smith, CEO of Starboard Value LP and Chairman of Papa John’s International Inc. Brendan McDermid | Reuters Starboard Value has taken a stake in Salesforce, with founder Jeff Smith saying a significant opportunity remains in the enterprise software maker, according to CNBC’s David Faber. Dow-component Salesforce jumped more than […]

Top Wall Street analysts pick these stocks as the market grows increasingly uncertain

Apple CEO Tim Cook speaks during Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference in San Jose, California, June 6, 2022. Peter Dasilva | Reuters Using a market downcycle to accumulate shares of companies with strong fundamentals and prospects can lead to good returns when the market goes up. To that end, keeping an eye on which stocks analysts are recommending can be […]

Activist ESG investing — the Goldilocks of responsible investing

Violetastoimenova | E+ | Getty Images ESG has been an incredible movement. It has had a momentum and acceleration that was seemingly unstoppable, and for good reason. Everyone wants to save the climate and support treating employees, customers and communities with respect. Everyone is for good corporate governance. Yet, for several years, many people, particularly behind closed doors and in […]

The Fed is going to cause ‘unbelievable calamities’ if they keep hiking, according to Barry Sternlicht

The Federal Reserve’s aggressive rate hike path – an attempt to tamp down the highest inflation in decades – is set to cause damage to the global economy if the central bank keeps going, according to billionaire Barry Sternlicht. “They are going to cause unbelievable calamities if they keep up their action, and not just here, all over the globe,” […]

Thoma Bravo-backed workplace software firms merge as shift to hybrid work creates new opportunities

Pixelseffect | E+ | Getty Images Offices are busier now than they’ve been at any point since Covid first sent employees home in March 2020. But companies are still in the thick of adapting to a more distributed workforce, creating an opportunity for workplace technology companies like Condeco and iOffice + SpaceIQ. The two companies are merging to create Eptura, […]

Top Wall Street analysts name the best stocks to ride a market downcycle

In this article GXO NVMI NVMI-IL SNX GOOGL Follow your favorite stocksCREATE FREE ACCOUNT The logo of Alphabet Inc’s Google outside the company’s office in Beijing, China, August 8, 2018. Thomas Peter | Reuters With an ugly September in the rear-view mirror, it’s tempting for investors to make impulsive decisions. The three major indexes ended the month with sizeable losses, […]

Activist Jana prepares to bring star nominees to Freshpet’s board. Here’s how it may create value

In this article FRPT Follow your favorite stocksCREATE FREE ACCOUNT Inti St Clair | Tetra Images | Getty Images Company: Freshpet (FRPT) Business: Freshpet manufactures and markets natural fresh meals and treats for dogs and cats in the United States, Canada and Europe. The company sells its products under the Freshpet brand, along with Dognation and Dog Joy labels through […]

Pimco’s Ivascyn sees a mild recession ahead and several investing opportunities

Dan Ivascyn, PIMCO, at CNBC’s Delivering Alpha, Sept. 28, 2022. Scott Mlyn | CNBC The U.S. is likely headed toward a recession but there’s a chance for the downturn to be comparatively mild due to strong underlying fundamentals, according to Pimco bond expert Dan Ivascyn. In remarks echoed by other speakers Wednesday at CNBC’s Delivering Alpha conference, Pimco’s chief investment […]

ESG without returns is ‘simply not sustainable,’ says investor Lauren Taylor Wolfe

Lauren Taylor Wolfe, center, Roy Swan, left, and Shundrawn Thomas at CNBC’s Delivering Alpha, Sept. 8, 2022. Scott Mlyn | CNBC ESG and sustainable investing generally have come under fire recently, with critics pointing to a lack of transparency and differing definitions sparking confusion around what investors are actually buying. Adding to the confusion is the broad approach to ESG […]

Starboard snaps up a position in Wix, and building free cash flow may become a focal point

In this article WIX Follow your favorite stocksCREATE FREE ACCOUNT Marco Vdm | E+ | Getty Images Company: Wix.com (WIX) Business: Wix.com is an Israeli information technology company that develops and markets a cloud-based platform that enables users to create a website or web application. Their platform consists of three web creation products, each with a different purpose or primary […]