Activist Carl Icahn Gets Two Representatives on Hologic, Inc. (HOLX)’s Board

Billionaire Carl Icahn‘s activist position in Hologic, Inc. (NASDAQ:HOLX) takes a new step with the nomination of two representatives on the company’s board of directors. According to a press release attached to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Jonathan Christodoro and Samuel Merksamer have been appointed to Hologic’s board.

Following the nominations, the board of the company has expanded to 11 directors, 10 of whom are independent.

“Hologic is a leader in women’s health with innovative, market-leading technologies, and the Company is well-positioned to take advantage of multiple opportunities, […] As members of the Board, Jonathan and Sam will work with the other directors and the management team to enhance the value of the Company for all shareholders. Our record shows that our involvement on boards has often created meaningful value for all shareholders. We hope this will continue with Hologic,” Carl Icahn said in the statement.

Hologic, Inc. (NASDAQ:HOLX) also reported today that Dr. Burton Drayer has been engaged a scientific advisor to the company.

“Given his experience and deep knowledge in medical diagnostics and radiology, I believe that Dr. Drayer will be an extremely valuable resource to the Company going forward,” Mr. Icahn also said.

The billionaire initiated a big activist position in Hologic in November, disclosing a 12.63% stake, which contains 34.2 million shares. Amid the move made by Icahn Hologic, Inc. (NASDAQ:HOLX) had to adopt a stockholder rights plan to prevent a possibility of a hostile takeover.

Also on Monday, Hologic, Inc. (NASDAQ:HOLX) announced that it has named Stephen P. MacMillan as the new President and CEO of the company.

At the end of September, several big hedge funds owned shares of Hologic, Inc. (NASDAQ:HOLX), the latest round of 13F filings revealed. One of them is Levin Capital Strategies, managed by John A. Levin, which owns some 4.6 million shares, worth $94.4 million. Barry Rosenstein’s Jana Partners revealed holding 3.6 million shares, worth $73.5 million, among others.

Last week, Mr. Icahn disclosed that he has entered into an agreement with another energy company, Talisman Energy Inc. (USA) (NYSE:TLM), following which, also Mr. Christodoro and Mr. Merksamer have been nominated to the company’s board of directors. Mr. Icahn holds 7.37% of the Talisman’s common stock, increasing the holding to 76.1 million shares, from 71.8 million owned earlier.

Disclosure: none