Activist Investor Nelson Peltz Eyes New Push for Disney Board Seats After Boosting Stake

The activist investor Nelson Peltz is making one other play for The Walt Disney Co.

In February, Peltz ended his proxy battle with Disney in an enormous win for CEO Bob Iger, however with the Hollywood large’s inventory remaining underneath stress regardless of reorganization strikes, Peltz is eyeing a renewed push for board seats, in line with a supply accustomed to the matter.

Peltz’s hedge fund Trian Fund Administration, already one of many firm’s largest shareholders, has acquired additional Disney shares, bringing the worth of its stake to greater than $2.5 billion. Trian is predicted to request a number of seats on Disney’s board of administrators, together with one for Peltz, the supply says.

If Disney doesn’t conform to this, the fund could look to once more nominate various administrators forward of the Hollywood conglomerate’s annual assembly within the spring. The supply added that Trian gave Disney and Iger time to show the corporate round after the CEO introduced a turnaround plan again in February, however that the inventory hunch spurred on the choice to make a brand new board play.

The fund feels the Disney board ought to strengthen its alignment with shareholders given Disney’s inventory has fallen from round $113 in early February to $82.94 as of Friday’s market shut.

Peltz deserted his try to win illustration on Disney’s board after the corporate unveiled main price cuts and different initiatives underneath Iger. “This was an amazing win for all of the shareholders. Administration at Disney now plans to do every part that we needed them to do,” Peltz mentioned on CNBC again then. Nonetheless, he additionally emphasised that Disney and Iger needed to ship on their guarantees.

Disney again then mentioned: “We’re happy that our board and administration can stay centered with out the distraction of a proxy contest, and we’ve got super religion in Bob Iger’s management and the transformative imaginative and prescient for Disney’s future he set forth.”

It has since then been exploring strategic options for such belongings as Hulu, its broadcast enterprise and its Indian operations.

One factor that isn’t clear within the new Trian effort is whether or not former Marvel chairman Ike Perlmutter is concerned. Perlmutter — a pal of Peltz’s and a fellow Palm Seaside resident — was concerned within the final proxy struggle, and held tens of millions of Disney shares. It’s now recognized how a lot is stake is at present.

Perlmutter was laid off from Disney’s Marvel Leisure division (not related to Marvel Studios) in March.

“I’ve lengthy anticipated that my working relationship with Disney would finish. That it ought to come on account of my making an attempt to assist Disney enhance its enterprise ought to sadden many shareholders because it does me, the corporate’s largest particular person shareholder,” Perlmutter mentioned in a press release after the termination.

A spokesperson for Trian declined to remark. The Wall Road Journal first reported Peltz’s new push.

In the meantime, Sanford C. Bernstein analyst Laurent Yoon final week initiated protection of the media and telcom sector, with Disney as one in every of his two favourite shares, ranking it at “outperform” with a $103 inventory value goal. Calling Disney “the one credible challenger to Netflix,” he mentioned that “we’re bullish on Disney’s potential to transition to direct-to-consumer at scale as soon as mixed with Hulu.” He added about Hulu: “Disney has extra to realize with full management of the asset, and (a) favorable decision of the deal (with Comcast) will seemingly elevate a modest overhang on the inventory.”