Inelegant Investor is a collection of real-world investing observations, focused on the edge cases that don’t show up in textbooks — restructurings, CVRs, spinoffs, and the strange outcomes that accumulate in actual portfolios. And whatever else interests me about investing. Investing isn't always pretty, it's usually quite inelegant.
Recent Series: The Portfolio Graveyard
Dear Concerned Shareholders- We are pleased to inform you that our actions regarding the henhouse have been “fully compliant with the law. However, other issues have been raised publicly about [our henhouse] business practices, and it is appropriate that they be fully reviewed. This decision to create an ad hoc committee of [foxes], which I fully support, will help… Read More »
It’s been a long week for Valeant(VRX), a longer weekend, and with the fresh allegations published tonight in the Wall Street Journal, it’s going to be a long night. The week began with Valeant changing its business model completely, putatively in the face of pressure on raising prices on “mispriced” drugs. In reality, a business model based on… Read More »
Turnaround magician and Oracle of HisOwnMind, Biglari Holdings(BH) Chairman and CEO Sardar Biglari continues to struggle with Maxim magazine. The NY Post reports that editor Kate Lanphear is gone, just six months into her attempt to reposition the laddie mag as a luxury magazine. Her tenure has included the previously unthinkable- featuring a man on the cover of the August… Read More »
There are many books which describe the mechanics of value investing, beginning, of course, with The Intelligent Investor: The Definitive Book on Value Investing. A Book of Practical Counsel (Revised Edition) (Collins Business Essentials) by Benjamin Graham. One might wonder what Guy Spier’s new book, The Education of a Value Investor: My Transformative Quest for Wealth, Wisdom, and Enlightenment might… Read More »
Great piece by Nate over at Oddball Stocks detailing the recent events at First Aviation(FAVS). Basically, management is forcing outside shareholders to sell out at an arbitrary price below intrinsic value, without a shareholder vote. As a holder, I am disappointed, but like Nate, my basis is not too far above the buyout price. It’s a relatively cheap… Read More »
From the moment the first headlines crossed the wire this morning, the story has been “Berkshire Hathaway(BRKB) Buying Heinz(HNZ)” or “Buffett Buying Heinz”. That is not at all the case however. 3G Capital, a Brazilian firm known for its investments in Burger King and InBev, is buying Heinz. It will own half the equity and operate the company.… Read More »
A year ago, we questioned Eastman Kodak’s solvency, and discovered a strange world of what Donald Rumsfeld might have called “dead-enders” who believed in a pot of gold at the end of the Kodachrome rainbow despite all evidence to the contrary. One rallying cry amongst these folks was huge, multi-billion dollar patent sale that was imminent. Well, apparently,… Read More »
Bilgari Holdings(BH) Chairman and CEO Sardar Biglari has, on multiple occasions, let us all know that Biglari Holdings is a ‘jockey stock’ and that he is the ‘jockey’. It seems though, that the horse’s owners continue to resist his orders. Biglari first tried to classify the stock in February 2011, but was unsuccessful in that attempt. More recently,… Read More »
There is rampant speculation this morning after Berkshire Hathaway(BRKA) announced it had repurchased 9200 class A shares from “the estate of a long-time shareholder”. Many are reporting, irresponsibly, in our opinion, that the stake comes from David Gottesman. This makes no sense to us for two reasons. First, Mr. Gottesman, being very much alive, has no estate. Secondly,… Read More »
As an activist, Sardar Biglari has taken stakes in various companies, and, when he hasn’t gotten his way, pushed his agenda in the name of good governance. See, for example, the recent amendment by the Chairman and CEO of Biglari Holdings(BH), of his 13D on Cracker Barrel(CBRL). Emphasis is added: On August 16, 2012, BH delivered a letter… Read More »