Apple Inc. (AAPL), Dell Inc. (DELL): Carl Icahn Raises Chesapeake Energy Corporation (CHK) Stake to 9.98%

Activist investor Carl Icahn has increased his stake in Chesapeake Energy Corporation (NYSE:CHK). A regulatory filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Friday showed that Icahn held 66.5 million shares in Chesapeake as of Aug. 1, which represents a 9.98% stake. That is up from an 8.98% stake, based on a November filing.

Chesapeake shares climbed as high as $25.58 Monday as the stocks of some of its peers fell. But by early afternoon Chesapeake’s stock price dipped $0.03 to $24.98. They are at $24.86 Tuesday morning.

Icahn has always been known as an influential investor, but his actions lately seem to have added pull.

Last week, Icahn said via Twitter that he had acquired a large but unspecified stake in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) and that he thinks the company should do more to revive its stock price. He said that he had spoken to the company about boosting its share repurchase plans and the stock immediately jumped, closing at its highest level in seven months.

He has also been involved in a very public fight to oppose Michael Dell’s efforts to take Dell Inc. (NASDAQ:DELL), the company Michael Dell founded, private. Investment fund Southeastern Asset Management is also fighting against the effort. The opposing arguments have been compelling enough to prompt Dell’s board to delay the shareholder vote on the deal three times.

Chesapeake, based in Oklahoma City, is going through its own changes. The company said last week that four of its top executives have left the company as part of an ongoing reorganization effort. That is in addition to the company’s co-founder and former CEO Aubrey McClendon leaving the company in April and senior vice presidents Tom Price and Henry Hood leaving in May. According to an SEC filing, Steven C. Dixon, Executive Vice President — Operations and Geosciences and Chief Operating Officer of Chesapeake and Jeffrey A. Fisher, the Company’s Executive Vice President – Production were given notices terminating their employment last week.

The article Carl Icahn Raises Chesapeake Energy Stake to 9.98% originally appeared on Fool.com and is written by Associated Press.

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