Description: Pfizer Inc. and Allergan PLC said Monday that they would merge in a so-called inversion deal worth about $155 billion that would create the world’s biggest drug maker by sales. Source: MarketWatch.com Date: Nov 23, 2015 Link: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/pfizer-allergan-in-155-billion-inversion-deal-2015-11-23-84852729 Questions for discussion: What is an “inversion deal”? What motivated this merger? Do you think it… Read more »
Posts Categorized: Company Analysis
Bill Ackman Found a Cheap Way to Buy More Valeant Stock
Description: “The biggest regret I have with Valeant is that we’re not in a position to buy more,” said Bill Ackman on a conference call earlier this month, but he solved that problem just a couple weeks later. Source: Bloomberg.com Date: Nov 24, 2015 Link: http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2015-11-24/bill-ackman-found-a-cheap-way-to-buy-more-valeant-stock Questions for Discussions: How did Bill Ackerman manage to buy more… Read more »
Dorsey unfazed by Square’s lower IPO price
Description: Square CEO Jack Dorsey says that the company is focused on long-term growth and that the lower IPO price is just ‘one moment in time.’ Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: Nov 19, 2015 Link: http://money.cnn.com/video/technology/2015/11/19/square-ipo-jack-dorsey-valuation.cnnmoney/ Questions for discussion: What are the main criteria that should be used to estimate the valuation of Square?… Read more »
Grounded: GoPro crashes below IPO price
Description: Once a highflying stock, GoPro has officially been grounded. Source: CNNMoney.com – video report Date: Nov 13, 2015 Link: http://money.cnn.com/2015/11/13/investing/gopro-breaks-ipo-price/index.html?iid=hp-toplead-dom Questions for discussion: What happened to GoPro and its stock? Do you think its stock price can recover?
Pharma exec Martin Shkreli may be an ass, but he’s only taking advantage of warped U.S. regulatory incentives
Description: Avoiding toxoplasmosis generally comes down to washing your hands after handling soiled kitty litter and cooking meat properly. Source: FinancialPost.com Date: Nov 12, 2015 Link: http://business.financialpost.com/financial-post-magazine/pharma-exec-martin-shkreli-may-be-an-ass-but-hes-only-taking-advantage-of-warped-u-s-regulatory-incentives Questions for discussion: Summarize the issues raised in this article? Is there a regulatory problem?
Huge Valeant Stake Exposes Rift at Sequoia Fund
Description: For more than four decades, the Sequoia Fund has been the envy of Wall Street, one of the rare funds to consistently beat the market. Known for its close ties to Warren E. Buffett, the fund at its peak managed more than $9 billion. Source: NYTimes.com Date: Nov 12, 2015 Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/13/business/huge-valeant-stake-exposes-rift-at-sequoia-fund.html?ref=business&_r=0 Questions for… Read more »
How Uber plays the tax shell game
Description: The car-hailing phenom is viewed by many as the model for the 21st century corporation. You should see how state-of-the-art it is when it comes to minimizing its tax bill. Source: Fortune.com – video report Date: Oct 22, 2015 Link: http://fortune.com/2015/10/22/uber-tax-shell/ Questions for discussion: Summarize the issues raised in this article? Is there a… Read more »
Why Alibaba Agreed to Buy Video Service Youku
Description: Shaun Rein, China Market Research Group’s managing director, Maha Ibrahim, Canaan Partners general partner, and Bloomberg’s Brad Stone discuss Alibaba’s agreement to buy video service Youku Tudou and its competition with Amazon. They speak with Bloomberg’s Emily Chang on “Bloomberg West.” (Source: Bloomberg) Source: Bloomberg.com – video report Date: Nov 7, 2015 Link: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2015-11-07/why-alibaba-agreed-to-buy-video-service-youku… Read more »
How snacking is helping this company thrive in today’s global economy
Description: Irene Rosenfeld, CEO of Mondelez International, sits down with Fortune’s Susie Gharib and discusses how the global trend to snack is helping the food conglomerate. Source: Fortune.com – video report Date: Oct 29, 2015 Link: http://for.tn/1NaLPBU Questions for discussion: How has management at Mondelez responded to global challenges, in terms of “controls”? Why would… Read more »
Opinion: These 3 big stocks with earnings power are strong buys
Description: Alphabet, McDonald’s, GM do not disappoint Source: MarketWatch.com Date: Oct 29, 2015 Link: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/these-3-big-stocks-with-earnings-power-are-strong-buys-2015-10-30?dist=lcountdown Questions for Discussions: What is the financial basis for buying these stocks? Do you agree with the assessments?
