Carl Icahn’s Bet on Hertz Goes Bust as Rental Car Company Files for Bankruptcy (CNBC)
Legendary activist investor Carl Icahn may see his investment in Hertz lose most of its value after the rental car company filed for bankruptcy. Hertz filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last week, citing the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on travel demand. Icahn held nearly 40% of the outstanding shares of the stock, according to FactSet, and it was one of his 10 largest holdings.
Hedge Fund Angelo Gordon Buys Northern Oil & Gas Debt (Reuters)
(Reuters) – Hedge fund Angelo Gordon & Co. on Tuesday bought $33 million worth of Northern Oil & Gas Inc’s (NOG.A) debt and said it was planning to push for deals that would increase the shale producer’s cash reserves. Angelo, which is already the second-largest owner of Northern with a nearly 10% equity stake, said a potential transaction could include an exchange of equity or debt securities of the company.
Activist Investor Jonathan Litt is Shorting Big NYC Office Landlords (TheRealDeal.com)
Activist investor Jonathan Litt, who in recent years has pushed to turn around struggling retailers, now has a new sector in his sights. Litt’s hedge fund, Land & Buildings Investment Management, is taking short positions in New York City landlords Empire State Realty Trust, SL Green Realty and Vornado Realty Trust, the Wall Street Journal reported.
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Hedge Funds Plan Extreme Lengths to Protect Staff After Lockdown (Bloomberg)
One hedge fund may shut an office in Asia permanently and have employees work from home. Another may dramatically shrink its Manhattan headquarters. Meanwhile, industry titan Millennium Management has a 50-point checklist for reopening offices that includes air filtration and an application process for staff who want to come in. Around town, rivals are discussing procuring infrared temperature scanners for entryways and plexiglass dividers to slide between desks.
West Palm Beach Police Collars EnTrust Global for Hedge Fund of Funds (Pensions&Investments)
West Palm Beach (Fla.) Police Pension Fund hired EnTrust Global to run a $20 million hedge fund-of-funds portfolio, said John McCann, senior consultant at AndCo Consulting, the pension fund’s investment consultant. The $344 million pension fund’s board approved the hiring of EnTrust to run the separate account, onshore hedge fund of funds at its April 17 meeting, recently released minutes show. AndCo Consulting assisted.
Ex-Apple Lawyer’s Insider-Trading ‘Hail Mary’ Opposed by U.S. (Bloomberg)
A former Apple Inc. lawyer is making a bogus “Hail Mary” argument that insider-trading charges against him are unconstitutional, U.S. prosecutors told a federal judge in New Jersey. Gene Levoff, previously a senior in-house lawyer specializing in corporate law for Apple, was charged last year with trading on inside information about the company’s revenue and earnings dating back to 2011. He asked U.S. District Judge William Martini in Newark last month to throw out the indictment against him, arguing that the prosecution is unconstitutional because no specific criminal law bars such conduct.
Tuesday 5/26 Insider Buying Report: HFFG, ANDE (Nasdaq.com)
At HF Foods Group, a filing with the SEC revealed that on Friday, Co-Chief Executive Officer Xiao Mou Zhang bought 53,786 shares of HFFG, at a cost of $6.45 each, for a total investment of $346,699. So far Zhang is in the green, up about 12.3% on their buy based on today’s trading high of $7.24. HF Foods Group is trading up about 8.8% on the day Tuesday. This buy marks the first one filed by Zhang in the past twelve months. And at Andersons, there was insider buying on Thursday, by Director Patrick S. Mullin who bought 17,513 shares for a cost of $11.52 each, for a trade totaling $201,750. Andersons is trading up about 4.9% on the day Tuesday. Mullin was up about 10.5% on the buy at the high point of today’s trading session, with ANDE trading as high as $12.73 in trading on Tuesday.
Synopsys Inc (SNPS) Co-CEO & President Chi-foon Chan Sold $948,996 of Shares (Guru Focus)
Co-CEO & President of Synopsys Inc., Chi-foon Chan, sold 5,582 shares of SNPS on 05/22/2020 at an average price of $170.01 a share. The total sale was $948,996. Synopsys Inc is a software development company. It supplies electronic design automation software used by engineers to design and test integrated circuits. It provides software and hardware used to develop the electronic systems that incorporate chips.
The Senior Vice-President & Chief Financial Officer of B2Gold (NYSE MKT: BTG) is Selling Shares (Analyst Ratings)
Today, the Senior Vice-President & Chief Financial Officer of B2Gold (BTG), Michael Andrew Cinnamond, sold shares of BTG for $1.14M. In addition to Michael Andrew Cinnamond, 14 other BTG executives reported Sell trades in the last month. Based on B2Gold’s latest earnings report for the quarter ending March 31, the company posted quarterly revenue of $380 million and quarterly net profit of $72.29 million.
Coronavirus Misconduct Crackdown by SEC Fueled by Whistleblower Tips (Fox Business)
WASHINGTON – The novel coronavirus outbreak and economic fallout is proving to be a bonanza for whistleblower lawyers as the U.S. securities regulator cracks down on a range of related misconduct from companies touting sham cures to misuse of federal aid. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) fielded about 4,000 complaints from mid-March to mid-May, a 35 percent increase compared to the period one year ago, Steven Peikin, the agency’s co-head of enforcement, said this month as cases of COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the coronavirus, shot up.
