To inattentive observers, the recent announcement that the British insurance company Prudential PLC (NYSE ADR: PUK) would pay $35.5 billion for American International Group Inc.'s (NYSE: AIG) Asian insurance operation, AIA, might seem like just another belated expansion of the old British Empire - a strange contrast to the sale of the premier British chocolate company Cadbury PLC (NYSE ADR: CBY) to Kraft Foods Inc. (NYSE: KFT) last month.
Yet in reality both deals are examples of Empire-building that for shareholders is much more dangerous than the benign British variety - Empire-building by corporate management that runs contrary to capitalist ideals.
Cadbury
Article Index
Prudential-AIG Deal Another Case of Corporate Empire Building
To read more about why the Prudential-AIG deal contradicts capitalism, click here...
With This Options Strategy, Investors Can Snap Up Global Stocks at Discount Prices
Everyone likes getting a bargain, especially on high-quality products. But when it comes to the stock market, that search for bargains can be a long one. That's especially true right now - after the rally that started in mid-March has propelled so many stocks to new yearly highs.
But here's what most investors don't realize: While it may be hard to find truly undervalued stocks, there is a way to buy perfectly valued shares at a substantial discount to their market price.
At times, that discount can equal 20% or more.
What's more, this strategy can be utilized in virtually any market environment: It doesn't matter whether the bulls are running the show, as they have been recently, or if the market is suffering from a "fiscal hangover," as it was in early 2009.
The technique is known as "selling cash-secured put options" - and, while trading options is viewed as complex and scary by many investors, this particular play is both simple in execution and relatively low in terms of risk.
Here's how it works.
But here's what most investors don't realize: While it may be hard to find truly undervalued stocks, there is a way to buy perfectly valued shares at a substantial discount to their market price.
At times, that discount can equal 20% or more.
What's more, this strategy can be utilized in virtually any market environment: It doesn't matter whether the bulls are running the show, as they have been recently, or if the market is suffering from a "fiscal hangover," as it was in early 2009.
The technique is known as "selling cash-secured put options" - and, while trading options is viewed as complex and scary by many investors, this particular play is both simple in execution and relatively low in terms of risk.
Here's how it works.
With His Rebuke of Kraft, Buffett Reminds Wall Street That Shareholders Come First
A decade ago, investing guru Warren Buffett helped torpedo a $15.3 billion Coca-Cola Co. (NYSE: KO) bid for Quaker Oats Cos., arguing that the terms were lousy and the proposed price way too high.
Now Buffet is causing similar complications with a Kraft Foods Inc. (NYSE: KFT) plan to buy Britain's Cadbury PLC (NYSE ADR: CBY), announcing that he's wholly opposed to a plan to issue as many as 370 million Kraft shares to get the deal done. As Kraft's largest shareholder - Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE: BRK.A, BRK.B) owns 9.4% of Kraft's common stock - his opinion is likely to carry the day.
Wall Street is furious: Deal fees are not as easy to come by as they used to be, and this transaction promised to be especially juicy - thanks to the spin-offs and share issues Kraft is doing to get the buyout done. Some of those maneuvers won't now be necessary, and if the transaction does get done it will be finalized at a lower price.
From the outset it was clear to me that the Kraft/Cadbury deal represented "managerial capitalism" more than it did shareholder capitalism. And in that battle, I know which side I am on.
I'm with Warren.
Now Buffet is causing similar complications with a Kraft Foods Inc. (NYSE: KFT) plan to buy Britain's Cadbury PLC (NYSE ADR: CBY), announcing that he's wholly opposed to a plan to issue as many as 370 million Kraft shares to get the deal done. As Kraft's largest shareholder - Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE: BRK.A, BRK.B) owns 9.4% of Kraft's common stock - his opinion is likely to carry the day.
Wall Street is furious: Deal fees are not as easy to come by as they used to be, and this transaction promised to be especially juicy - thanks to the spin-offs and share issues Kraft is doing to get the buyout done. Some of those maneuvers won't now be necessary, and if the transaction does get done it will be finalized at a lower price.
From the outset it was clear to me that the Kraft/Cadbury deal represented "managerial capitalism" more than it did shareholder capitalism. And in that battle, I know which side I am on.
I'm with Warren.
Investment News Briefs
With our investment news briefs, Money Morning provides investors with a quick overview of the most important investing news stories from all around the world.
Kraft Raises Cash Bid for Cadbury; Google Phone Sales Begin; Automakers See Strong U.S. Sales Gains; Whitney Slashes Goldman Forecast; Gulf Infrastructure Gets a Boost; Construction Collapse; IT Obstacle
Kraft Raises Cash Bid for Cadbury; Google Phone Sales Begin; Automakers See Strong U.S. Sales Gains; Whitney Slashes Goldman Forecast; Gulf Infrastructure Gets a Boost; Construction Collapse; IT Obstacle
- Kraft Foods Inc. (NYSE: KFT) has agreed to sell its DiGiorno and Tombstone pizza brands to Nestle SA (OTC ADR: NSRGY) for $3.7 billion, using all the net proceeds from the sale to boost the cash portion of its offer for Cadbury PLC (NYSE ADR: CBY) . In related news, Warren Buffet's Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE: BRK.A, BRK.B) voted against Kraft's offer to issue up to 370 million shares for the Cadbury acquisition, saying it would change its vote if the transaction doesn't "destroy value for Kraft shareholders." Berkshire's stake of more than 9% in Kraft makes it the food maker's largest shareholder. Nestle, meanwhile, formally took its name out of the running of any possible bidders for Cadbury in a terse statement.
Hot Stocks: With Alcon Sold, Will Nestle Try to Outmuscle Kraft in a Bid for Cadbury?
Is a bidding war brewing for Cadbury PLC (NYSE ADR: CBY)?
In a widely anticipated move, Nestle SA (PINK: NSRGY) said yesterday (Monday) that it would sell its remaining 52% stake of Alcon Inc. (NYSE: ACN) to Swiss drug maker Novartis AG (NYSE ADR: NVS) for about $28 billion. That influx of cash could give Nestle the financial firepower to go up against Kraft Foods Inc. (NYSE: KFT) in a competing bid for Cadbury.
Nestle is always "open to acquisition opportunities if they fit strategically," Chief Executive Officer Paul Bulcke told The Wall Street Journal in September.
In a widely anticipated move, Nestle SA (PINK: NSRGY) said yesterday (Monday) that it would sell its remaining 52% stake of Alcon Inc. (NYSE: ACN) to Swiss drug maker Novartis AG (NYSE ADR: NVS) for about $28 billion. That influx of cash could give Nestle the financial firepower to go up against Kraft Foods Inc. (NYSE: KFT) in a competing bid for Cadbury.
Nestle is always "open to acquisition opportunities if they fit strategically," Chief Executive Officer Paul Bulcke told The Wall Street Journal in September.
Investment News Briefs
With our investment news briefs, Money Morning provides investors with a quick overview of the most important investing news stories from all around the world.
Total Forms Joint Venture with Chesapeake; Manufacturing Index Jumps; Cold Snap Drives Oil Higher; Car Sales Surge in December; Kraft Advances Bid for Cadbury; New BofA CEO Optimistic for U.S. This Year, But Krugman Shows Caution; WSJ: Banned Chinese Companies Continued to Do Business With U.S. Firms
Total Forms Joint Venture with Chesapeake; Manufacturing Index Jumps; Cold Snap Drives Oil Higher; Car Sales Surge in December; Kraft Advances Bid for Cadbury; New BofA CEO Optimistic for U.S. This Year, But Krugman Shows Caution; WSJ: Banned Chinese Companies Continued to Do Business With U.S. Firms
- Total SA (NYSE ADR: TOT) will pay up to $2.25 billion for a 25% stake in Chesapeake Energy Corp.'s (NYSE: CHK) assets in the Barnett Shale natural gas field in North Texas, Total said yesterday (Monday). Total will pay $800 million for the stake, and up to $1.45 billion for as long as six years by funding 60% of Chesapeake's costs in the field. The Barnett Shale field is the biggest producer of natural gas in the United States and accounted for 52% of Chesapeake's third-quarter output.
Investment News Briefs
With our investment news briefs, Money Morning provides investors with a quick overview of the most important investing news stories from all around the world.
Dubai Gets $10 Billion Bailout; Citi Unveils First TARP Payback Plan; Cadbury Formally Rejects Kraft Offer; British Airways Cabin Crews to Stage Holiday Strike; Obama to Banks: Help the Economy Recover; Online Shopping Grows 3% Over 2008; Chinese Automaker Buys Saab Platform Technology; Toyota to Release Plug-In Hybrid in 2011
Dubai Gets $10 Billion Bailout; Citi Unveils First TARP Payback Plan; Cadbury Formally Rejects Kraft Offer; British Airways Cabin Crews to Stage Holiday Strike; Obama to Banks: Help the Economy Recover; Online Shopping Grows 3% Over 2008; Chinese Automaker Buys Saab Platform Technology; Toyota to Release Plug-In Hybrid in 2011
- Debt-laden Dubai got a $10 billion bailout from neighboring Abu Dhabi, boosting global markets but raising questions about the undisclosed terms of the deal, Reuters reported. The fund will enable state-owned investment vehicle Dubai World to repay a $4.1 billion bond its real estate developer Nakheel PJSC was due to honor yesterday (Monday). Despite the bailout, credit ratings agency Fitch Ratings Inc. called Abu Dhabi's support only " a tactical step to permit an orderly restructuring of obligations within Dubai to continue."
- Citigroup Inc. (NYSE: C) formally laid out its plans to repay $20 billion in Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) loans, which includes selling about $17 billion in common stock and about $3.5 billion of securities that turn into common shares. The TARP payback leaves Citi with a balance of roughly $15 billion, meaning it is still under the U.S. government's thumb. "They're still in the government's embrace. It's just not a bear hug now," Anton Schutz, president of Mendon Capital Advisors Corp., which owns Citi shares, told Reuters .
- Cadbury PLC's (NYSE ADR: CBY) board of directors unanimously rejected Kraft Foods Inc.'s (NYSE: KFT) $16.2 billion bid, calling it "wholly inadequate." While no competing offers have materialized yet, Cadbury has "had indications of interest from third parties on possible business combinations," Chief Executive Officer Todd Stitzer said in a conference call, declining to name any companies. The Hershey Co. (NYSE: HSY) as well as Nestle SA (PINK ADR: NSRGY) have been reported as potential competing suitors, but unless a company comes forward with a bid, Cadbury's shareholders - which have until Feb. 2 to approve or reject Kraft's bid - may green light Kraft's offer. "We're not overwhelmed by Cadbury's defense…This is not enough to squeeze a massively higher offer from Kraft in our view," James Edwardes Jones, an analyst at British broker Execution Ltd.told Reuters. "It is difficult to see why Kraft needs to pay up much more than 800 [pence]." Kraft's bid is about 727 pence per Cadbury share, and most analysts believe it needs to pay 820-850 pence to buy Cadbury.
Battle for Cadbury Gets Sticky as Hershey & Italy's Ferrero Mull Offer
Hershey Co. (NYSE: HSY) and Italian-based confectioner Ferrero SpA are considering a possible bid for U.K. candy giant Cadbury PLC (NYSE ADR: CBRY), raising the potential for a costly bidding war. But should a battle take place, U.S. food giant Kraft Foods Inc. (NYSE: KFT) is still the odds-on favorite.
Hershey, the maker of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, said in a statement it's “reviewing its options,” leaving open the door to an offer but not saying one would be forthcoming. Ferrero, the Italian maker of Tic Tacs and Nutella spread, said it was in “preliminary stages of evaluating its options in respect to Cadbury,” according to Reuters.
Hershey, the maker of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, said in a statement it's “reviewing its options,” leaving open the door to an offer but not saying one would be forthcoming. Ferrero, the Italian maker of Tic Tacs and Nutella spread, said it was in “preliminary stages of evaluating its options in respect to Cadbury,” according to Reuters.
Kraft Launches Hostile Bid for Cadbury
Kraft Foods Inc. (NYSE: KFT) yesterday (Monday) refused to sweeten its $16.4 billion offer for Cadbury PLC (ADR NYSE: CDY).
Instead, the North American food giant repeated the terms of its original offer, which Cadbury rejected two months ago. Kraft will now put its bid directly to Cadbury shareholders, setting the stage for a battle that could last months.
Cadbury swiftly rejected the bid, saying the offer is now worth less than the initial proposal, which had already undervalued the company. Kraft's bid is now worth 4% less than the original offer, and 6% below the current stock price, because Kraft shares have lost some of their value.
Instead, the North American food giant repeated the terms of its original offer, which Cadbury rejected two months ago. Kraft will now put its bid directly to Cadbury shareholders, setting the stage for a battle that could last months.
Cadbury swiftly rejected the bid, saying the offer is now worth less than the initial proposal, which had already undervalued the company. Kraft's bid is now worth 4% less than the original offer, and 6% below the current stock price, because Kraft shares have lost some of their value.
Trusted Brand Names Will Point the Way to the Top IPO and M&A Profit Plays
Whether the topic is initial public stock offerings (IPOs), or mergers-and-acquisitions (M&A), the strongest brand names will deliver the biggest profits almost every time. For starters, just look at the deal that seems to have fired off the latest round of global M&A deals: The $16.7 billion unsolicited takeover bid that Kraft Foods Inc. (NYSE: […]
How to Find the Best Potential Profit Plays in the Resurgent M&A and IPO Markets
When Xerox Corp. (NYSE: XRX) yesterday (Monday) unveiled plans to pay $6.4 billion for outsourcing specialist Affiliated Computer Services Inc. (NYSE: ACS), it was just one of four major financing deals with an aggregate value of more than $14 billion announced on the day. And that wasn't all. Newegg Inc., a well-known computer and electronics […]
Kraft's Bid for Cadbury Not Sweet Enough
Kraft Foods Inc.'s (NYSE: KFT) $16.7 billion unsolicited takeover attempt of Cadbury PLC (NYSE ADR: CBY) is the latest sign of consolidation in the highly competitive food industry, and will likely lead to two things: A bidding war for Cadbury and further consolidation in the sector. The world's second-largest foodmaker went public with its bid […]