Mickey vs. The World You'd think a nearly $200bn company would have their sh*t figured out… Apparently not. At least that's what Nelson Peltz of Trian Partners, an NYC-based investment manager, believes. Some people poke the bear, but Nelson is poking the Mouse. The 80-year-old Peltz is choosing war over retirement, peace, and monthly social security checks. To each their own. But now that his company owns $800mn worth of Disney shares, I guess it's understandable why he spent like 45mins on Squawk Box just trashing on the company this morning. Basically, the beef began when Peltz was denied a board seat at Disney in favor of some dude who used to be a Nike exec. Why that guy got the job, I don't know, but let's take a quick look at exactly wtf is going on. Basically, Peltz is calling out Disney for screwing itself over. One of my favorite quotes from this morning's rant on Squawk Box had to be when he was referencing Disney's acquisition of Fox. Man really said, "Fox hurt this company. Fox took the dividend away. Fox turned what was once a pristine balance sheet into a mess." To translate from corporate speak, what he said was, "Fox was a dumpster, and Disney set it on fire." And he kinda has a point. When Disney acquired 21st Century Fox, their balance sheet went from the envy of the media space to a steaming pile of debt that would've made WeWork look like smart financial managers. But not only is there beef, but there's beef about the beef. Peltz claims Disney's board has been entirely unresponsive to his grievances. Meanwhile, Disney claims Peltz is a crazy old man who should be put in a retirement home. As usual in these things, both sides are probably wrong, at least somewhat. But this isn't the end of the story; no, this is just the beginning. All Peltz and Trian want is a damn seat on the board. If I was a betting man (which I am, degenerately), I'd say Peltz would have it locked up pretty soon. All in all, it's a sign of the times. When stocks do nothing but moon like they did from 2012-2022, no one's mad at the company's board. When stocks go down, like Disney having its worst year since the 1970s in 2022, then the homies start to get fired up. Peltz vs. Disney…place your bets now. The big question: Will Peltz and Trian Partners eventually get a room at the Mouse House, and what does this signal for activist involvement in other firms? |
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