Jeff Smith Long Yahoo & MeadWestvaco at Capitalize For Kids Sohn Canada Conference

We're posting up notes from the Capitalize For Kids Sohn Canada conference that just took place.  Next up is Jeff Smith of Starboard Value who talked about various investments including Darden, Yahoo, and MeadWestvaco.


Jeff Smith's Sohn Canada Presentation

Spoke about being in the news with the recent Darden Restaurants (DRI) battle. Mentioned they did not want management to sell Red Lobster, and they did.

Next talked about about Yahoo (YHOO). Many shareholders called him, as they are frustrated with lots of clear unlocked value. With a ~$40 B market cap, Alibaba stake is worth $35B, Yahoo Japan stake worth $7.5B, cash on hand at $7.5B and finally the core business of $5.5B. Full value of $62B, much higher than the current value. Opportunity exists given that they will need to pay taxes to exit Alibaba stake. Management is working hard to find a tax structure that is efficient. Mentioned they are currently in a black-out period and will have more details once this period ends. Price target $63 within 12 months (50% upside).

Next, pitched LONG MeadWestvaco Corp (MWV). which is a consolidated packaging company. They are looking to spin off the Specialty Chemical business and the Real Estate piece, both non-core businesses. Plans to reduce overhead and explore alternatives to unlock value of pension assets

Be sure to check out the rest of the presentations from Capitalize For Kids Sohn Canada here.

Starboard Value's Presentation on Transforming Darden Restaurants

Jeff Smith's activist firm Starboard Value is out with a presentation on their position in Darden Restaurants (DRI).  They're pushing for change here and has put together a massive 293 slide deck illustrating the company's margin improvement opportunity, the need for a turnaround in its Olive Garden brand, among other things.

Embedded below is Starboard Value's presentation "Transforming Darden Restaurants":



You can download a .pdf copy here.

For more on Starboard, check out Jeff Smith's presentation at the recent Value Investing Congress as well.

What We're Reading ~ Hedge Fund Links 2/28/14

Best ideas from the Harbor Conference: Kingdon, Locust Wood, Blackstone [Street]

New hedge funds move away from monthly liquidity in 2013 [HedgeWeek]

George Soros considers investing in European banks [HedgeWorld]

Ackman talks Herbalife, P&G, Target, and Air Products [CNBC]

Steve Mandel tops best-earning hedge funds for clients in 2013 [Bloomberg]

Hedge funds wrestle with employee personal account trading conflicts [Forbes]

With ban on ads removed, hedge funds test waters [Dealbook]

Funds look to hire PR heads [CNBC]

Investor pushes to block Red Lobster spinoff [Dealbook]

Carl Icahn's various letters to eBay [Shareholders' Square Table]

Why Sam Zell loves Mexico [UTSanDiego]

The hedge fund report card [II Alpha]

Blackstone buys minority stake in hf Senator [Bloomberg]

Starboard Value Goes Activist on Darden Restaurants (DRI) Too

Another activist has joined the Darden Restaurants (DRI) fight.  Jeffrey Smith's Starboard Value LP has disclosed a 5.55% stake in DRI with 7,250,000 shares via an activist 13D filing.

Last week, we highlighted Barington Capital's presentation on Darden Restaurants (DRI) where they called for the company to split up.  The company responded by announcing plans to spin off its Red Lobster chain. Now another activist is on the scene.

This is a brand new investment for Starboard.  They've engaged management in discussions and feel the announced plan doesn't maximize shareholder value.  Smith's 13D says,

"Specifically, Starboard believes there is a significant opportunity to dramatically improve the operating performance at the Issuer, as well as opportunities to realize substantial value from the Issuer’s real estate holdings and to explore other strategic options available to the Issuer to maximize shareholder value, including alternative business sale or separation transactions."

The company operates restaurants such as Olive Garden, Red Lobster, LongHorn Steakhouse, The Capital Grille, Yard House, Bahama Breeze, Seasons 52, and Eddie V's Prime Seafood.

For more on Starboard, see Jeff Smith's presentation on Wausau Paper.

Barington Capital's Presentation on Darden: Perspectives on Value Creation

Below is Barington Capital Group's presentation on shares of Darden (DRI).  Their slideshow, entitled "Perspectives on Value Creation" highlights the company's underperformance and their thoughts on how DRI can create two focused restaurant companies, unlock their real estate asset value, and reduce operating expenses.

Embedded below is the .pdf of the presentation:

Deteriorating Consumer Environment: Abercrombie and Fitch (ANF) Evidence

This is just continuing evidence of a lackluster consumer environment. Abercrombie and Fitch (ANF) same store receipts were down in August, setting up what I predict will be a downward accelerating consumer environment. Both Citi and Merrill Lynch downgraded ANF on Friday, citing deteriorating sales and increased markdowns. In fact, Citi went as far as to say that they think ANF could trade at its lowest multiple in 5 years. Just something to keep an eye on as you try to balance your portfolios.

Specialty retail is getting hit hard (and will continue to get hit hard) as effects from the housing market, consumer credit crunch, and inflation take a toll on consumer's pocketbooks. Abercrombie is known for its upscale niche within the teen segment, often selling more expensive items than the likes of competitors Aeropostale (ARO), who seems to be doing alright in this environment. So, look for consumers to "trade down" in this environment.

In any given sector, I like to take a balanced approach and often times am market neutral. For instance in retail, being long the likes of Walmart (WMT) or various other discounters who sell essentials (food, gas, toiletries, medicine) is very appealing to me. Then, you take the other side by going short discretionary retailers, such as ANF. Long cheap and/or necessary items; Short expensive and/or discretionary items. The same logic can be applied to food by going long the likes of McDonald's (MCD) for the "cheap" factor (although they might see some slight headwinds due to their strong international presence and a rising US dollar). Then, shorting casual dining restaurants such as BJ Restaurants (BJRI) or Darden Restaurants (DRI), who are feeling the pinch of rising input costs and slower dining traffic.

The main point to take away here is that we all know the consumer is strapped for cash. However, I think too many people are counting on a recovery. With vast evidence of the housing market accelerating to the downside, I just don't see how that is possible. Add in the consumer credit crunch and the inflationary pressures consumers are seeing on everything they buy, and you've got a recipe for a very thrifty consumer.