Activist Campaigns Knocking On Doors Of Big Firms

Activist Campaigns Knocking On Doors Of Big Firms by Andrew Birstingl, FactSet Insights

What do Macy’s, QUALCOMM, and AIG have in common? Each of them is a Large and well-established firm that has been the target of an activist campaign in the past year. In July 2015, Jeffrey Smith’s Starboard Value acquired a stake in Macy’s and urged the clothing retailer to spin off its real estate assets in order to unlock additional value for the company. In April 2015, Barry Rosenstein’s JANA Partners pushed QUALCOMM to cut costs, accelerate its buyback program, and make changes to its board of directors. In late 2015, Icahn Associates and Paulson & Co. pressured AIG to break up the firm into...