Dearest Readers, we have a confession to make. We fell short of the sacred trust you have placed in us, and were, somehow remiss. You see, it seems, that other than to mention an index change, we never discussed Air Products and Chemicals (APD) October 2016 spinoff of Versum Materials (VSM). We apologize profusely for this breach and… Read More »
Even before Biogen(BIIB) completed its spinoff of Bioverativ(BIVV), ValueAct Capital began buying “when-issued” stock in the new company. The hedge fund has continued to buy both stock and forward contracts and has now accumulated a 7.1% position in Bioverativ. The shares were purchased at between $40 and $45 per share. As Bioverativ stock has now risen above $50,… Read More »
Mallinckrodt(MNK) began the week trading at $70 per share. Six months ago, it was above $130. Today, after some comments from Andrew Left of Citron Research, it trades at $62.58, having touched as low as $52.01. The drug company was spun off of Covidien in 2013. Covidien, which had spun out of Tyco(TYC), was acquired in 2014 by… Read More »
What a difference a week makes. Last week we reported that Valeant(VRX) was considering spinning off its Neuro drugs. Now, in the face of mounting conerns about its relationship with specialty pharmacies including Philidor, the company assures us that everything is ok. On a conference call this morning, CEO J. Michael Pearson told a questioner that the Neuro spin… Read More »
Bill Ackman loved its business model of purchasing companies with “mispriced” drugs and raising prices, but, under fire from regulators and legislators, Valeant(VRX) announced today that it will be completely changing its business model. Recent outrage about huge price increases for acquired drugs including public statements by Democratic Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton have been a cause of the… Read More »