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Icahn Enterprises (IEP) Responds to Self-Serving Short Seller Report

May 10, 2023 11:00 AM

Icahn Enterprises L.P. (Nasdaq: IEP) ("IEP" or the "Company") today issued the following statement in response to a short seller's misleading and self-serving report published on May 2, 2023:

Chairman of the Board, Carl C. Icahn, stated: "Hindenburg Research, founded by Nathan Anderson, would be more aptly named Blitzkrieg Research given its tactics of wantonly destroying property and harming innocent civilians. Mr. Anderson's modus operandi is to launch disinformation campaigns to distort companies' images, damage their reputations and bleed the hard-earned savings of individual investors. But, unlike many of its victims, we will not stand by idly. We intend to take all appropriate steps to protect our unitholders and fight back.

"We believe that the greatest paradigm for investment success is activism. We have a long-held belief that at far too many companies today there is no real corporate governance and therefore no accountability and, as a result, companies are not nearly as productive as they should be. The failure of our system presents an opportunity for activists, like us, who are willing to spend the energy, the time and the money to breach the walls that far too many corporations have built to entrench themselves. Over the years, we have generated hundreds of billions of dollars of value for stockholders through activist campaigns where we were able to guide boards and CEOs to take the steps necessary to enhance the value of their companies. Examples of these, to name a few, are Texaco, Reynolds, Netflix, Forest Labs, Apple, CVR Energy, Herbalife, eBay, Tropicana, Cheniere, and Occidental.

"In more recent years the performance of our investment segment has been lower than our historical averages. A key detractor has been our bearish view of the market, causing us to have a large net short position. We recently have taken steps to reduce the short positions in our hedge book and concentrate for the most part on activism, which has served us so well in the past. We believe our existing portfolio has considerable upside potential over the coming years.

"We expect that, over time, IEP's performance will speak for itself. We have a strong balance sheet, with $1.9 billion of cash and $4 billion of additional liquidity, and stand ready to take advantage of all opportunities. As we consider recent events, we are left asking why Mr. Anderson issued this inflammatory report, doing great harm to retail investors. He has admitted to shorting stock before issuing his report, believing that the stock price would temporarily decline. Was that his only goal? Whatever the motive, IEP intends to vigorously defend itself and its unitholders."

Mr. Icahn and his affiliates own approximately 84% of the Company's outstanding units. As a publicly traded limited partnership, IEP offers its unitholders the ability to invest alongside Mr. Icahn as co-owners of IEP and, in so doing, to participate in the Company's activist strategy. To be clear, Mr. Icahn receives no fees, salary or any other compensation from IEP.

The day after the report was published, IEP's market capitalization fell by $6.6 billion for our unitholders. As recently as May 4, 2023, the American Bankers Association said that "the harm caused by short selling that runs counter to economic fundamentals ultimately falls on small investors, who see value destroyed by others' predatory behavior." The good news for IEP's investors is that we have Carl, the liquidity, the strategy and the know-how to fight back.

The following response sets the record straight with respect to the misleading and self-serving claims.

IEP's Board of Directors is focused on preserving an optimal liquidity position for the benefit of all unitholders. Investors are attracted to this commitment, which includes a long-term view of the Company's liquidity needs and a willingness to return capital in a fiscally responsible manner.

IEP's net asset value (NAV) determinations are based on accepted valuation methodologies.

December 31, 2022

March 31, 2023

($ in millions)

$

% of
Gross

$

% of
Gross

Market-valued

Holding Company interest in Funds

4,184

4,013

CVR Energy

2,231

2,334

Total Market-Valued

6,415

69 %

6,347

70 %

Book Valued

Real Estate Holdings

455

457

WestPoint Home

156

161

Vivus

241

237

Other HoldCo net assets

20

130

Automotive Parts

381

-

Total Book-Valued

1,253

14 %

985

11 %

Third-Party Valuations

PepBoys Owned Real estate

831

831

Total Third-Party Valuations

831

9 %

831

9 %

Market Comparables

Viskase

243

285

PepBoys (excl Owned Real Estate)

490

573

Total Market Comp. Valuations

733

8 %

858

10 %

Gross Assets

9,232

9,021

Less: HoldCo debt

(5,309)

(5,309)

Add: HoldCo cash and cash equivalents

1,720

1,868

Indicative Net Asset Value

5,643

5,580

Viskase

($ in millions)

NAV
Before Sale

Net Consideration
from Sale

Δ

PSC Metals

$141

$323

$182

Ferrous Resources

$166

$463

$297

American Railcar Industries

$547

$831

$284

Tropicana

$1,509

$1,566

$57

Federal-Mogul

$1,690

$2,000

$310

American Railcar Leasing

$1,029

$1,808

$779

IEP is a publicly traded master limited partnership.

IEP's unique structure and history explain why the market values its units at a premium to NAV: it provides all investors an opportunity to invest alongside a legend of Wall Street as co-owners of IEP and, in doing so, to participate in the Company's activist business management and investment strategy.

IEP does not intend to abandon its unitholders – it will defend their interests in all appropriate manners.

Icahn Enterprises L.P., a master limited partnership, is a diversified holding company engaged in seven primary business segments: Investment, Energy, Automotive, Food Packaging, Real Estate, Home Fashion and Pharma.

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