Nielsen’s New Biggest Shareholder Bought Up Stock, Opposes Deal (Barron’s)
Nielsen Holdings has a new largest shareholder, a hedge fund that opposes a recent acquisition offer for the audience-ratings firm. WindAcre Partnership paid $1.5 billion from April 6 through April 13 for a total of 31.6 million Nielsen shares (ticker: NLSN), at an average price of $27.47, according to Securities and Exchange Commission filings. WindAcre now owns 91 million Nielsen shares, giving it a stake of 25.3%. The purchases make WindAcre the largest holder of Nielsen shares, topping Vanguard Group, which has 44.6 million,…
Citadel’s Griffin Rises as Top GOP Donor, Urges Business Leaders to Join Him (The Wall Street Journal)
CHICAGO — Hedge-fund billionaire Ken Griffin is raising his total investment in this year’s midterm congressional elections to roughly $40 million and calling on American business leaders to become more involved in politics. Day to day, the Citadel founder is either the first- or second-biggest individual donor to outside spending groups on the Republican side for federal races this election cycle, according to rankings by the nonpartisan OpenSecrets watchdog group, making him a top force behind the GOP’s drive to retake Congress in November.
Newspaper Publisher Lee Faces Renewed Pressure from Hedge Funds (MarketWatch)
OMAHA, Neb. — Newspaper publisher Lee Enterprises is facing renewed pressure from a hedge fund to speed up its transition to digital publishing and consider adding new digital-savvy leaders to its board after successfully fighting off a hostile takeover from a different hedge fund. Lee’s LEE, -1.88% largest shareholder, Cannell Capital, this week disclosed buying nearly 20,000 more of the company’s shares, giving it a 9.1% stake. The fund’s head, Carlo Cannell, said he thinks Lee needs new board members and executives with experience running a digital publishing business.
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Putin, Oligarchs May Have Stolen $1 Trillion From Russian People, Browder Says (International Business Times)
Bill Browder, a political activist and former hedge fund manager, on Tuesday suggested that Russian President Vladimir Putin and some Russian oligarchs have stolen a significant amount of money from the people of Russia. Speaking at a Manhattan event in celebration of the publication of his book “Freezing Order,” Browder said he believes Putin and Russian oligarchs stole at least $1 trillion dollars from the people after the Soviet Union fell.
Las Olas Venture Capital Closes $50M Fund II (Finsmes.com)
Las OIas Venture Capital, a Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based venture capital firm, raised $50M for its latest fund to continue its strategy of seed-stage B2B software investments. With this new fund, LOVC continues its thesis of seed-stage financings for B2B software companies, with a particular focus on companies based in emerging technology markets such as the southeastern US.
