Star stockpicker Terry Smith dumps entire Unilever holding after McCormick mega-merger Retail One of Britain’s best-known fund managers has dumped his holding in Unilever worth hundreds of millions of pounds, accusing the consumer goods giant of abandoning its traditional shareholders in favour of activist-driven deals like last month’s McCormick mega-deal. Terry Smith, the star stockpicker behind the £12.5bn Fundsmith Equity Fund, sold out of his position in [...]
Rentokil returns to growth after activist investor scuffle Business Pest-control company Rentokil has reported an uptick in revenue as it grapples with the after-effects of a profit warning and activist investor backlash. The firm told markets this morning that revenue grew by 3.6 per cent year on year in the three months to 30 September, from £1.39bn to £1.44bn. Shares in the company rose [...]
Activist investors call for shake-up at Rentokil after share price tumble Business Nelson Peltz’s activist hedge fund Trian Partners is among the shareholders reportedly calling for a shake-up at pest control firm Rentokil after a severe drop in its share price. Trian Partners, which has built a fearsome reputation for waging activist campaigns on global boardrooms, has held urgent meetings with Rentokil’s chief executive and chairman to [...]
Unilever considers sale of Kate Somerville’s skincare line August 27, 2024 Kate Somerville’s premium skincare brand has become the latest Unilever brand to go up for sale as the group continues its restructuring plan announced earlier in the year. As well as Somerville’s eponymous facialist line, which the FTSE-100 giant has owned since 2015, it is also looking to offload sensitive-skincare specialist REN Skincare, according to [...]
Rentokil shares spike 11 per cent after BT boss eyes takeover July 22, 2024 Philip Jansen, the former chief of BT Group, is eyeing a bid to take over FTSE 100 pest control firm Rentokil Initial, according to reports.
Rats! Rentokil London future in doubt after Nelson Peltz builds a stake June 12, 2024 Trian Partners, founded by Peltz, told Bloomberg News it had reached out to the Crawley-based pest-exterminator with ideas to “improve shareholder value” after building a stake that put it among the top 10 shareholders in the firm.