Loading...
Loading...
Carl C. Icahn today
delivered the following open letter to shareholders of
Transocean Ltd.
Dear Fellow Shareholders of Transocean:
Today we delivered a formal letter to Transocean Ltd.
informing them that I will be including the following items on
the agenda at the Company's 2013 Annual General Meeting of
Shareholders:
• A proposal to approve a $4 dividend per share to be paid in
four equal quarterly installments,
• To elect three new directors, John J. Lipinski, José Maria
Alapont and Samuel Merksamer, to the Board, and
• A proposal to repeal the Company's staggered board.
I am proposing the $4 dividend because I believe that a high
dividend payout ratio is the only way that Transocean will
consistently employ a disciplined and sensible approach to
capital allocation. Over the past several years, in my opinion,
the Company has conducted ill-advised mergers, employed
unsuccessful development strategies and squandered the
substantial cash flow generated by the business. Now, it appears
to me, the Board and management would like to take the Company's
substantial cash flow and use it to achieve three goals: the
massive repayment of the company's low coupon debt, the
aggressive new build growth locked up with low return contracts, and the payment of a meager dividend to shareholders.
I believe that the inability of Transocean to grow and pay down
debt is a function of poor capital allocation which has driven
the share price to below net asset value. Once the capital
allocation problem has been solved, in my opinion, Transocean
will have access to yield hungry investors to finance growth and
acquisitions on attractive terms.
I believe that to permanently repair the failed capital allocation strategy, shareholders of this Company must replace
the directors who have been the architects of this failed
strategy, including the Chairman. The directors that I have
chosen have substantial experience in the creation and issuance
of non-traditional yield structures, driving shareholder returns
through capital allocation, and managing and growing large
corporations both internationally and in the energy sector. If
these nominees are elected, which I expect they will be, I truly believe it will serve shareholders well.
Loading...
Loading...
© 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
Benzinga simplifies the market for smarter investing
Trade confidently with insights and alerts from analyst ratings, free reports and breaking news that affects the stocks you care about.
Join Now: Free!
Already a member?Sign in