Shareholder Activism

Baloise stock up as activist Cevian confirms sizeable stake

Zurich-listed Baloise has become the latest P&C insurer to be targeted by an activist shareholder with news this morning that Cevian Capital has accumulated a 9.4 percent stake in the company.

Markel faces shareholder calls to report underwriting and investment-linked emissions

Markel will face a shareholder proposal at its upcoming annual general meeting calling for disclosure of information on greenhouse gas emissions associated with its underwriting and investment activities, with warnings that the insurer lags behind US and European peers.

Fairfax denies “false and misleading” claims in Muddy Waters report

Fairfax has described allegations by short seller Muddy Waters that it has manipulated its asset values and overstated its book value as “false and misleading” in a strongly worded statement.

Starboard Value sells off WTW stake in Q3

Starboard Value has sold off its holding in WTW, some two years after the activist investor built up a position in the company following the broking giant’s aborted combination with Aon.

Allstate stock should continue climbing if Trian is along for the ride

Allstate’s share price rose as much as 6 percent yesterday following a report by Reuters that Nelson Peltz's activist hedge fund Trian Fund Management has built a stake in the US auto/homeowners heavyweight.

Activist group slams US carriers for rejecting climate and human rights resolutions

Environmental activist network Insure Our Future has criticised US insurance giants Chubb, Travelers and The Hartford, as well as their largest shareholders, for failing the 2023 proxy season’s “climate test” at their respective annual general meetings this month.

Activist Cevian sells entire Aviva stake in endorsement of Blanc turnaround

European activist shareholder Cevian Capital has sold down its stake in London-listed Aviva, ending its long-running campaign in a move which endorses CEO Amanda Blanc’s overhaul strategy to return further capital to investors in the UK insurance giant.

Activist Cevian slashes Aviva stake below 5% in endorsement of Blanc turnaround

European activist shareholder Cevian Capital has reduced its stake in London-listed Aviva to below 5 percent in a move which endorses CEO Amanda Blanc’s overhaul strategy to return further capital to investors in the UK insurance giant.

Argo announces withdrawal of Capital Returns nominees ahead of AGM

Argo has announced that activist investor Capital Returns has withdrawn its board nominees ahead of the insurer’s annual general meeting this week, a move that will be viewed as an inflection point in the activist’s battle with the specialty carrier.

R&Q: (some) shareholders strike again…

Ever since legacy acquisition company R&Q listed on London’s junior stock market AIM in 2007, founders Ken Randall and Alan Quilter would have faced questions about succession.

R&Q will be hoping for a damp squib AGM rather than Bastille Day fireworks

14 July is Bastille Day, a national holiday in France commemorating the storming of the infamous prison and lighting of the revolutionary fuse which ultimately brought down the ancien regime.