How is the mindset of a billionaire different from a Motley Fool reader? You might be surprised to learn that it’s not that different, actually.
T. Boone Pickens recently published an op-ed piece on LinkedIn Today called A Fool and His Money are Soon Parted. The first sentence of the piece reads, “Don’t think that just because I’m a billionaire I throw money away.”
I’ve personally seen T. Boone make investments as small as $500,000 (readers may question this, but I actually have). When you consider a half million dollars in relation to his net worth, it’s similar to any of us making a small trade in our retail brokerage account.
The purpose of these illustrations isn’t because I have a preference for T. Boone Pickens or Carl Icahn with Herbalife (in fact, I actually agree with Ackman). The lesson here is simple–despite their tremendous wealth, most of the large investors in the stock market continue to make the most money because they follow a strict set of rules. While T. Boone and Icahn have made countless investments over the years, these sharks continue to prowl the seas of the stock market.
I believe Motley Fool readers can participate in the upside by swimming with the sharks. Here are three stocks that are currently being stirred by activist investors.
Famous Dave’s of America, Inc. (NASDAQ:DAVE)
Famous Dave’s of America, Inc. (NASDAQ:DAVE) is a full sit-down restaurant that specializes in barbequed meats and chicken, including beans, corn muffins and sauces. The company owns 53 locations and franchises an additional 134 restaurants in 34 states and 1 Canadian province.
On Feb. 13, Dave’s reported fourth quarter revenue of $36.3 million, which was less than the expected $37.3 million. Comparable restaurant sales for October – December decreased 6.0% for company-owned restaurants and 4.0% on franchised restaurants.
A quick lesson on same-store sales. During my work as an equity research analyst, I evidenced that franchised restaurants consistently performed better than company-owned restaurants. The reason is simple: franchisees have more skin in the game. Therefore, it doesn’t surprise me that Dave’s franchised restaurants outperformed the company-owned by a full 2.00%.
The weak performance at Famous Dave’s of America, Inc. (NASDAQ:DAVE) presents a prime opportunity for an activist investor. Patrick Walsh, a Chicago-based wealth manager, recently purchased 9.9% of Famous Dave’s, which has a market capitalization of $77 million.
On March 4, Famous Dave’s of America, Inc. (NASDAQ:DAVE) disclosed with the SEC that it agreed to add Patrick Walsh to the company’s board of directors. In addition to having a new board member, Famous Dave’s announced back in December it was re-aligning its core marketing functions.
I recommend buying shares on this collective news.
Hess Corp. (NYSE:HES).
Hess is a $24 billion global energy company that operates in two segments: Exploration & Production (E&P) and Marketing and Refining (M&R).
On March 4, Hess announced in a press release the company’s formal plans to transform into solely an exploration and production business and exit the downstream businesses of retail, energy marketing, and energy trading.
While John Hess, Chairman and CEO, told news outlets that the changes were prompted by internal review, numerous analysts believe that activist investors such as Paul Singer’s Elliot Management prompted the news.
Mr. Singer recently stated that the company is “doing the least possible to maintain the status quo.” I believe we will see more to come from Hess Corp.(NYSE:HES). management as shareholders prod behind the scenes.
Following the series of announcements, multiple firms on Wall Street have raised their price targets on Hess. French investment firm Societe Generale upgraded Hess to Buy from Hold with an $80 price target. New York-based ISI Group also upgraded the stock to Buy with a $77 price target.
