Investor Summary
Fund Strategy
FUND PERFORMANCE AS OF 30th June 2026
| ANNUALIZED SINCE INCEPTION | QUARTERLY | YTD |
|---|---|---|
| - | - | -3.6% |
| ANNUALIZED SINCE INCEPTION | QUARTERLY | YTD |
|---|---|---|
| - | - | -3.6% |
GreenWood Investors delivered flat first-half 2026 performance with accounts down 3.6% versus the MSCI ACWI's 11.7% gain, following more than 100% net returns over the prior three years. The firm deliberately avoided the AI hype-cycle despite being heavy AI users, believing demand growth in compute capacity cannot sustain supply-side expectations in an investment cycle outpacing all previous technology cycles. Instead, GreenWood rotated capital into new governance-driven transformations offering extreme valuation dislocations. Key positions include CTT, where improving European banking valuations create transformational opportunities for bank monetization and capital redeployment into e-commerce logistics; Jack in the Box, where new CEO Mark King is driving an operational turnaround after refinancing near-term maturities; and Swatch Group, where the firm is pursuing Swiss court actions to improve board accountability amid improving watch industry fundamentals. Additional positions in Genus, NexGen Energy, and Rentokil offer high upside leverage to ongoing business quality improvements. The firm aims to double client capital again over the next few years through these new missions and catalysts.
GreenWood pursues a constructivist investment approach focused on governance-driven transformations in undervalued companies, partnering with active owners and boards to unlock value through operational improvements and strategic changes rather than chasing market trends like the AI hype-cycle.
GreenWood aims to double client capital again in the next few years after doubling portfolios over the past three years. The firm has underwritten new missions, catalysts, and transformations across the portfolio to achieve this goal. They see tremendous opportunities with material and extreme dislocations in valuations, behavioral dynamics, and real-time tests for business quality. The environment favors their constructivist investment approach as assertive owner-oriented boards typically create the most value when underlying dynamics are in accelerated change. The tone is confident and optimistic about portfolio positioning despite flat first-half performance.
| Date | Letter | Tickers | Keywords | Pitches | Quick Takes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 13 2026 | 2026 Q2 | GNS.L, JACK, NXE.TO, RTO.L, UDN.SW | E-Commerce, Europe, Governance, Luxury, Restaurants, Transformation, value |
CTT.LS JACK UHR.SW |
GreenWood rotated away from AI hype into governance-driven transformations after doubling client capital in three years. CTT offers transformational upside from European bank monetization into e-commerce. Jack in the Box installed seasoned operator Mark King to drive operational turnaround. Swatch Group governance battles coincide with improving Swiss watch fundamentals. Portfolio positioned for extreme dislocations favoring constructivist approach with new missions capable of replicating past Leonardo-style returns. |
| Jan 28 2026 | 2025 Q4 | GNS.L, IPCO.TO, JACK, LDO.MI, NXE, ODET.PA, UHR.SW | activism, Behavioral, Collaboration, global, Governance, turnaround, value |
NXE IPCO CN GNS LN UHR SW JACK |
GreenWood delivered 52.5% returns in 2025 through collaborative ownership and governance activism across a value-oriented global portfolio. The firm works directly with management teams to unlock catalysts and improve business quality, with FDA approvals, mine development progress, and turnaround execution driving outperformance. Strong pipeline of transformation opportunities positions for continued alpha generation. |
| Aug 8 2025 | 2025 Q2 | CTT.LS, LDO.MI, LTC-USD, MEIP, MSTR, UHR.SW | active ownership, crypto, defense, E-Commerce, Europe, Governance, Luxury, value | UHR SW | GreenWood delivered 39.6% first half returns through active ownership strategy, taking board seats in undervalued companies with exceptional management. Leonardo led performance with 100%+ gains from defense tailwinds. New positions in distressed Swatch Group luxury brands and MEI Pharma's crypto pivot demonstrate opportunistic approach. Manager maintains high conviction despite outperformance, seeing stronger competitive positions today. |
| Jan 7 2025 | 2024 Q4 | AMZN, CTT.LS, FDX, LDO.MI, PDD, TPL, UPS | active ownership, defense, E-Commerce, Europe, Logistics, value |
TPL LDO.MI CTT.LS PDD |
GreenWood delivered 16.6% returns in 2024 through active ownership of undervalued international companies while avoiding expensive US markets. Key contributors CTT and Leonardo drove performance through strategic partnerships and operational improvements. The fund maintains board positions to create catalysts rather than rely on passive investing, seeing abundant opportunities in discounted international markets. |
| Aug 6 2024 | 2024 Q2 | CTT.LS, LDO.MI, MEIP, ODET.PA, PDD, RACE, ROL, RTO.L | Biotechnology, Buybacks, defense, E-Commerce, Europe, Governance, value |
LDO.MI MEIP CTT.LS PDD RTO.L ODET.PA |
GreenWood delivered 11.0% first-half returns through coinvestments in transformational companies. Leonardo leads with 12.7% contribution from defense spending normalization. Portfolio emphasizes purpose-driven, owner-operated businesses at undemanding valuations while avoiding AI-hype. Active governance approach drives value through board representation and collaborative partnerships. Four new coinvestment opportunities under evaluation for governance-driven transformations. |
| Mar 2 2024 | 2023 Q4 | BOL.PA, CTT.LS, LDO.MI, MEIP, NXE, PDD, RTO.L, UMG.AS | activism, defense, E-Commerce, Europe, Music, Owner-Operators, uranium, value | - | GreenWood delivered 28% returns in 2023 through concentrated European positions trading at unprecedented discounts to US markets. The firm employs constructive activism with board seats at Leonardo and MEI Pharma, focusing on owner-operated businesses with strong FCF growth. Key themes include European defense spending, Iberian e-commerce expansion, uranium economics, and music streaming model evolution. |
| Apr 8 2023 | 2023 Q2 | IPCO.TO, NXE, RH, TRIP | activism, Buybacks, defense, Europe, Logistics, Owner Operators, value |
1RH GR BOL.PA CTT.LS LDO.MI |
GreenWood delivered solid 1H 2023 performance despite avoiding tech fads, focusing on undervalued owner-operator companies trading at 16% FCF yields. Three coinvestments significantly outperformed while portfolio companies aggressively repurchase shares. Leonardo transformation and CTT growth trajectory offer compelling opportunities as this historically outperforming asset class trades at rare discount to indices. |
| Jun 27 2023 | 2023 Q1 | CTT.LS, LDO.MI, MEIP, SFOR.L, VRNOF | activism, Coinvestment, global, Micro Cap, Owner Operators, value |
VRNOF Salesforce Inc MEIP |
GreenWood underperformed in 2022 due to three out-of-favor positions in cannabis, digital advertising, and biotech sectors. Manager views selloffs as temporary fashion-driven weakness in quality owner-operated businesses. With these companies trading at significant discounts despite strong fundamentals, and owner-operators at historic valuation gaps versus indices, the fund sees compelling recovery opportunities ahead. |
| Jul 12 2022 | 2022 Q3 | CTT AU | - | - | |
| Aug 24 2022 | 2022 Q2 | CTT AU, LTRPA, RH | - | - |
| QUARTER | THEMES | TAGS |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 Q2 |
AIGreenWood uses AI tools extensively and has trained AI agents to widen their opportunity set, compressing years of search work into weeks. However, they believe demand growth in compute capacity cannot sustain supply-side growth expectations, and the investment cycle is outpacing previous technology cycles in speed and magnitude, often funded with leverage. They are staying away from the AI hype-cycle and avoiding committing capital to this late-stage bull cycle. |
Compute Investment Cycle Leverage Supply-Demand |
E-commerceCTT has rebuilt earnings beyond historical highs driven nearly entirely by secular growth in e-commerce. The company is experiencing regulatory volatility due to removal of deminimis tax in Europe, but management expects to grow through this unprecedented change. GreenWood believes the e-commerce business will become more attractive as it grows through volatility, introduces new services, and reinforces its competitive advantage. |
Logistics Regulatory Secular Growth CTT | |
Defense SpendingGreenWood had significant conviction in the long-tail of European defense spending through their Leonardo position, which delivered 9x returns over three years. The company reached Compounder status, though its relative attractiveness fell within their Ranking Framework as future returns were unlikely to replicate past performance. |
Europe Leonardo Long-tail | |
RestaurantsJack in the Box installed Mark King as interim CEO in May, a seasoned restaurant leader who lived the Taco Bell brand so deeply he shaved the logo into his hair. The company is making progress getting same-store-sales back above breakeven, with strong May results and resilient July performance. GreenWood materially added to their position during first-half weakness and is excited about the transformation from financial engineering back to surprising and delighting customers. |
Same-Store-Sales Turnaround Governance Jack in the Box | |
LuxurySwiss watch fundamentals are improving with residual values of secondary watches rising for over a year, a forward indicator for future demand. Despite China's slower recovery, watch demand has been stable and US-dollar based sales continue to compound in double-digit ranges. Gen Z is 2-4x more likely to buy a traditional watch than other generations and is coming into higher earnings power, providing secular and cyclical demand levers. |
Swiss Watches China Gen Z Swatch Group | |
UraniumNexGen Energy's industry-changing uranium mine is now federally approved and under construction. The position has conservative balance sheet but extremely high upside leverage to ongoing initiatives. |
Mining Federal Approval Construction | |
BuybacksCTT has been actively shrinking the share count with buybacks as high as 1% of shares outstanding in just a few weeks, making the company more attractive despite e-commerce volatility. |
Share Repurchase Capital Allocation CTT | |
| 2025 Q4 |
AfricaFund delivered exceptional performance with 67.21% returns in 2025, significantly outperforming the 44.7% benchmark. Portfolio companies show strong fundamentals with forward PE of 6.1x, dividend yield of 8.0%, and expected EPS growth of 19.2%. Manager emphasizes that valuations remain attractive despite strong performance, with no multiple expansion occurring over the fund's 5+ year history. |
Frontier Markets Emerging Markets Valuation Growth Dividends |
LiquidityManager provides detailed analysis of liquidity challenges in African frontier markets, noting structural factors including tight ownership by corporates (24% vs 19% in emerging markets) and limited foreign participation. However, expects liquidity to improve in current bull market environment with increased investor interest and trading volumes picking up in Nigeria and Kenya. |
Market Structure Trading Volume Foreign Investment Bull Market | |
Capital MarketsDiscussion of improving capital market dynamics with new IPOs in Nigeria including Aradel and Ellah Lakes, Kenya's privatization of Pipeline Company, and proliferation of new investment fund products in Tanzania. Manager sees these developments as positive structural changes that could enhance market depth and liquidity. |
IPOs Privatization Market Development Investment Funds | |
| 2025 Q2 |
DefenseLeonardo's defense products including radars, lasers, sensors, jammers, helicopters and trainers are best-in-class and world leading. The company has launched a highly differentiated anti-missile defense system that will be in high demand for a decade due to geopolitical volatility. Defense spending tailwinds are expected to continue for at least a decade. |
Defense Electronics Aerospace Defense Components Defense Services Drones |
E-commerceCTT provides the rails that e-commerce runs on in Iberia and greater Europe through customs clearance, fulfillment, and last mile delivery capabilities. E-commerce adoption in Portugal and Spain is still at a fraction of levels seen in other European markets, providing a long runway for growth. |
Logistics E-commerce Software Distribution Quick Commerce | |
LuxuryThe Swatch Group owns world-class brands including Harry Winston, Omega, Breguet, Blancpain and Longines with immense potential. The luxury Swiss watch industry is experiencing unprecedented coverage and Generation Z is 2-4x more likely to spend on mechanical watches than any other generation. |
Jewelry Luxury Consumer Electronics Specialty Retail | |
CryptoMEI Pharma has shifted to a digital asset treasury strategy with Litecoin as the core holding. This creates an attractive capital arbitrage opportunity as MEI can more directly influence LTC momentum versus companies pursuing Bitcoin or Ethereum strategies due to Litecoin's smaller market cap. |
Crypto FinTech Alternative Asset Managers Capital Markets | |
| 2024 Q4 |
E-commerceThe fund is invested in CTT's parcel delivery business serving the under-penetrated Iberian e-commerce market, and PDD Holdings which has built an e-commerce platform with similar GMV to Amazon in one-third the time. E-commerce infrastructure services have significant runway as Iberian e-commerce remains under-penetrated as a portion of retail sales. |
Logistics Parcels Cross-border Fulfillment Last mile |
DefenseLeonardo finalized a material joint venture with Rheinmetall to build the world's most modern tank, utilizing existing technologies to create the first fully digitalized tank ready within two years. The defense industry typically operates on much longer timetables, but Leonardo's CEO is arbitraging time with unprecedented execution speed. |
Aerospace Defense Electronics Joint ventures Digitalization Military | |
LogisticsCTT has built a differentiated business model in the fragmented Iberian logistics market, growing Portuguese market share from under 30% to over 50% and Spanish presence from 1% to 15-16%. The company offers cross-border customs clearance, fulfillment services, and best-in-class quality with the densest last-mile network, creating significant competitive advantages in a money-losing industry. |
Last mile Market share Customs Cross-border Parcels | |
| 2024 Q2 |
DefenseLeonardo SpA is the largest contributor to performance, benefiting from increased defense spending driven by the Ukraine war and new normal lasting at least a decade. Italian government considering near-term orders that would eclipse total annual defense expenditures, with jumbo orders largely not included in the company's 5-year plan. |
Defense Spending Leonardo Ukraine Government Orders Defense Equipment |
BiotechnologyMEI Pharma represents the firm's ninth biotechnology investment since inception, following a contrarian approach where share prices fall below worst-case scenarios. The company is evaluating strategic alternatives to maximize asset value with the firm owning over 30% of shares and board representation. |
Drug Discovery Strategic Alternatives Biotech Assets Board Representation Contrarian Investing | |
E-commerceCTT has transformed with e-commerce leadership in Iberia as a key growth driver, while PDD's ultra-low prices and high-efficiency business model continue to pressure the marketplace despite being heavily penalized by markets and called a fraud. |
Iberia Marketplace Business Model Efficiency International Expansion | |
BuybacksShare repurchases are a key capital allocation tool across portfolio companies. Leonardo anticipates adding buybacks, CTT began its fourth share repurchase program to shrink share count by at least 4%, and the compounding effect from shrinking share counts is helping make the wait worthwhile. |
Capital Allocation Share Count Compounding Value Creation Shareholder Returns | |
| 2023 Q4 |
DefenseEuropean Aerospace & Defense is having its moment, being very active. Europe's defense industry will likely experience a decade of tailwinds as the continent responds to its 9/11 moment that occurred in 2022. Leonardo is only just starting to hit its stride with substantial improvement potential. |
Defense Spending Aerospace European Defense |
E-commerceE-commerce ordering frequency in Iberia is still fractions of where it has hit in other developed markets, meaning the profit drivers from this core division are secular and sustainable. CTT has re-accelerated its market share conquest on the Iberian peninsula as competitors with unsustainable pricing have retreated. |
E-commerce Logistics Iberian Market | |
UraniumNexGen Energy's leading Arrow deposit has the potential to be for uranium mining what Saudi Arabia is for oil considering its economics. As Uranium prices have now surpassed $100 per pound, once Arrow is fully operational, the free-cash-flow will be north of $1.6 billion. |
Uranium Mining Energy Transition | |
MusicUMG dominates 70-80% of the top 10 charts and well over half the top 50 streams. As streaming companies implement a more artist-centric economic model, UMG will have the most to gain, potentially bringing revenue growth back to north of 20% over the coming years. |
Music Streaming Media | |
| 2023 Q2 |
BuybacksMultiple portfolio companies are aggressively repurchasing shares, with RH buying back 22% of shares in 8 months, Bolloré tendering for over 20% of net shares, and CTT launching a third repurchase program. The manager views these buybacks as extremely accretive given current undervaluations. |
Share Repurchases Capital Allocation Undervaluation Accretive |
ValueThe portfolio trades at a 16% operating FCF yield despite fundamental acceleration. Owner-operator companies trade at a valuation discount to indices for the first time, creating a tremendous buying opportunity as this asset class typically carries a premium. |
Undervaluation Free Cash Flow Discount Owner Operators | |
DefenseLeonardo represents a transformational opportunity in European aerospace & defense. The company trades at a discount to historical multiples while peers trade at premiums, with significant upside potential as operational execution and capital allocation improve. |
Aerospace European Defense Valuation Discount Transformation | |
LogisticsCTT is the second fastest growing parcel/post company by earnings with ambitious 2025 targets to roughly double operating income. The company maintains industry-leading growth and service quality while targeting net zero carbon footprint by 2030. |
E-commerce Parcel Delivery Growth Sustainability | |
| 2023 Q1 |
CannabisVerano remains free-cash-flow positive despite onerous double taxation and continues organic expansion in regulated states. Manager optimistic about sector potential as Biden administration may de-schedule cannabis, eliminating double taxation and increasing Verano's free-cash-flow yield from 5.5% to over 15%. |
Cannabis Regulation Taxation |
AdvertisingS4 Capital continues gaining market share with best-in-class growth rates in digital advertising industry. Despite current sector being out of favor and audit delays causing investor flight, the company maintains disruptive positioning in digital ad services under Martin Sorrell's leadership. |
Digital Advertising Disruption | |
BiotechnologyMEI Pharma suffered from biotech segment's worst multi-year sell-off in industry history and FDA's unwillingness to approve later-stage drug candidate despite achieving previously agreed-upon data. Price-agnostic selling drove shares below quarter of cash on balance sheet. |
Biotech FDA Valuation | |
ValueManager emphasizes owner-operated businesses trading at biggest discount to index since tracking began. Focus on companies managed by substantial owners with multi-year time horizons, believing they outperform significantly in drawdowns and recoveries despite underperforming late in economic cycles. |
Value Discount Owners |
| Date | Pitch Type | Author | Ticker | Company | Industry | Sub Industry | Bull / Bear | Exchange | Keywords | Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 13, 2026 | Fund Letters | GreenWood Investors | CTT.LS | CTT - Correios de Portugal | Other | Air Freight & Logistics | Bull | - | Banking Spin-off, capital allocation, E-commerce logistics, Iberian Banks, Portugal, Postal Services, secular growth, Share Buybacks, turnaround, value unlock | Login |
| Aug 13, 2026 | Fund Letters | GreenWood Investors | JACK | Jack in the Box Inc. | Other | Restaurants | Bull | - | Activist Investment, Brand Revitalization, Cost Reduction, debt refinancing, Governance Change, high short interest, Operational Turnaround, Quick Service Restaurant, same-store sales, US consumer | Login |
| Aug 13, 2026 | Fund Letters | GreenWood Investors | UHR.SW | The Swatch Group AG | Other | Luxury Goods | Bull | - | China recovery, family-controlled, Gen Z Demographics, Governance Activism, high short interest, Luxury goods, margin expansion, Operational Leverage, secular growth, Swiss Watches | Login |
| Jan 28, 2026 | Fund Letters | Steven Wood | NXE | NexGen Energy Ltd | Energy | Uranium | Bull | New York Stock Exchange | energy transition, Mining, Nuclear, Permitting, uranium | Login |
| Jan 28, 2026 | Fund Letters | Steven Wood | IPCO CN | International Petroleum Corp | Energy | Oil & Gas Exploration & Production | Bull | New York Stock Exchange | buybacks, capital allocation, NAV, oil, Oil sands | Login |
| Jan 28, 2026 | Fund Letters | Steven Wood | GNS LN | Genus plc | Health Care | Agricultural Biotechnology | Bull | New York Stock Exchange | Biotech, China, Gene Editing, Genetics, royalties | Login |
| Jan 28, 2026 | Fund Letters | Steven Wood | UHR SW | Swatch Group AG | Consumer Discretionary | Luxury Goods | Bull | Swiss Exchange | balance sheet, brands, Governance, Luxury, turnaround | Login |
| Jan 28, 2026 | Fund Letters | Steven Wood | JACK | Jack in the Box Inc. | Consumer Discretionary | Restaurants | Bull | NASDAQ | Activism, Governance, Real Estate, Restaurants, turnaround | Login |
| Aug 8, 2025 | Fund Letters | Steven Wood | UHR SW | The Swatch Group AG | Consumer Discretionary | Luxury Goods | Bull | Swiss Exchange | Brand Equity, Governance, Luxury, turnaround, Watches | Login |
| Jan 7, 2025 | Fund Letters | GreenWood Investors | TPL | Texas Pacific Land Corp | Energy | Oil & Gas Exploration & Production | Neutral | NYSE | energy, index inclusion, land holdings, Oil & Gas, Permian Basin, royalties, Value | Login |
| Jan 7, 2025 | Fund Letters | GreenWood Investors | LDO.MI | Leonardo SpA | Industrials | Aerospace & Defense | Bull | Borsa Italiana | Aerospace, Board Seat, Defense, Digitalization, Italy, Joint venture, strategic alternatives, Tank Manufacturing, turnaround | Login |
| Jan 7, 2025 | Fund Letters | GreenWood Investors | CTT.LS | CTT - Correios de Portugal SA | Industrials | Air Freight & Logistics | Bull | Euronext Lisbon | Board Seat, Customs Clearance, DHL Partnership, e-commerce, Last Mile, Logistics, market consolidation, Parcel Lockers, Portugal, Spain | Login |
| Jan 7, 2025 | Fund Letters | GreenWood Investors | PDD | PDD Holdings Inc | Consumer Discretionary | Internet & Direct Marketing Retail | Bull | NASDAQ | Amazon Alternative, China, e-commerce, growth, international expansion, supply chain, Temu, valuation arbitrage | Login |
| Aug 6, 2024 | Fund Letters | GreenWood Investors | LDO.MI | Leonardo SpA | Industrials | Aerospace & Defense | Bull | Borsa Italiana | Aerospace, board representation, capital allocation, Defense, government contracts, Italy, share repurchases, transformation, Ukraine conflict | Login |
| Aug 6, 2024 | Fund Letters | GreenWood Investors | MEIP | MEI Pharma | Health Care | Biotechnology | Neutral | NASDAQ | asset monetization, Balance Sheet Value, biotechnology, board representation, contrarian, Drug Discovery, strategic alternatives, workforce reduction | Login |
| Aug 6, 2024 | Fund Letters | GreenWood Investors | CTT.LS | CTT - Correios de Portugal | Industrials | Air Freight & Logistics | Bull | Euronext Lisbon | banking, board representation, e-commerce, financial services, Iberia, Portugal, Postal Services, share repurchases, Sum-of-parts, transformation | Login |
| Aug 6, 2024 | Fund Letters | GreenWood Investors | PDD | PDD Holdings Inc | Consumer Discretionary | Internet & Direct Marketing Retail | Bull | NASDAQ | China, Competitive culture, e-commerce, High-efficiency, international expansion, marketplace, operating cash flow, Temu, Ultra-low prices | Login |
| Aug 6, 2024 | Fund Letters | GreenWood Investors | RTO.L | Rentokil Initial plc | Industrials | Commercial Services & Supplies | Bull | London Stock Exchange | acquisition integration, competitive moat, customer retention, Management transformation, organic growth, pest control, Technician retention, Terminix | Login |
| Aug 6, 2024 | Fund Letters | GreenWood Investors | ODET.PA | Compagnie de L'Odet | Industrials | Industrial Conglomerates | Bull | Euronext Paris | Electoral volatility, French conglomerate, Market dislocation, Opportunistic Investment, Political concerns, transformation | Login |
| Aug 4, 2023 | Fund Letters | GreenWood Investors | 1RH GR | RH | Consumer Discretionary | Home Furnishing Retail | Bull | NYSE | Builder, capital allocation, Contrarian Investment, Cyclical Recovery, home furnishings, Luxury Retail, Share Buybacks | Login |
| Aug 4, 2023 | Fund Letters | GreenWood Investors | BOL.PA | Bolloré | Industrials | Diversified Support Services | Bull | Euronext Paris | asset monetization, Builder, capital returns, conglomerate, European, NAV discount, Share Buybacks, Value | Login |
| Aug 4, 2023 | Fund Letters | GreenWood Investors | CTT.LS | CTT | Industrials | Air Freight & Logistics | Bull | Euronext Lisbon | Coinvestment, e-commerce, ESG, Iberia, Logistics, parcel delivery, Portugal, Share Buybacks | Login |
| Aug 4, 2023 | Fund Letters | GreenWood Investors | LDO.MI | Leonardo | Industrials | Aerospace & Defense | Bull | Borsa Italiana | activist, Aerospace, Board Seats, Defense, European, Proxy Campaign, turnaround, valuation discount | Login |
| Jun 27, 2023 | Fund Letters | GreenWood Investors | VRNOF | Verano Holdings Corp | Consumer Staples | Tobacco | Bull | OTC | Biden administration, Cannabis, De-scheduling, Double taxation, Free Cash Flow, Multi-State Operator, Organic expansion, Profitability margins, regulatory catalyst | Login |
| Jun 27, 2023 | Fund Letters | GreenWood Investors | Salesforce Inc | S4 Capital plc | Communication Services | Advertising | Bull | LSE | Audit delay, digital advertising, Disruptive, Growth Rates, market overreaction, market share gains, Multi-year horizon, Owner operator, Sir Martin Sorrell | Login |
| Jun 27, 2023 | Fund Letters | GreenWood Investors | MEIP | MEI Pharma Inc | Health Care | Biotechnology | Bull | NASDAQ | biotechnology, Cash balance, deep value, FDA approval, Governance, Late-stage drug, Owner control, Price-agnostic selling, Regulatory setback | Login |
| TICKER | COMMENTARY |
|---|---|
| JACK | As investors, you will know, we've long been believers in the value of 'skin in the game' in helping influence the governance and strategy of our companies. And yet, that doesn't always have to be one of us. A key initiative for us has been to find new partnerships with active owners that can bring the same sense of urgency, accountability and hunger for performance that we could bring. That urgency was on full display at Jack in the Box, as the board voted in May to install Mark King as interim CEO at Jack in the Box. As you may recall, Mark and his colleague Alan Smolinsky joined the JACK board last fall in a friendly settlement with the company. While we greatly appreciate former CEO Lance Tucker taking important steps to strengthen the company's balance sheet, we are re-assured that a seasoned restaurant leader is at the helm to drive the company to do 'whatever it takes' to get same-store-sales (comps) back in the black. To that end, Mark is continuing the progress Lance was making in getting comps back to above breakeven, with a strong May and resilient results thus far in July. These results are before the impact a die hard operator will have, for while at Taco Bell, Mark lived the brand so deeply that he shaved the logo into his hair. There are plenty of reasons we can point to as to why JACK sports a staggering 35% of shares outstanding short, but it is surprising to us that it has continued to increase considering a major overhang was removed in the first half. In early June, the company confirmed it had completed the refinancing for all near-term maturities, thus giving the company breathing room through 2029 for which to execute its operational-led turnaround. Given our strong belief in Mark's ability to build and lead an executive team, and Alan as lead director in the board room, we are excited to watch proper governance unlock major upside leverage to positive same-store-sales and further cost-out initiatives which will drive re-investment in the brand. We used weakness in the first half of this year to materially add to our position in Jack in the Box, and are excited about the company's primary focus transforming from over a decade of financial engineering back to surprising and delighting customers. |
| UDN.SW | While we believe in family and owner-controlled firms so much that we spent years of our free-time authoring a white paper on the behaviors and fundamentals of this class of securities — as asset managers we firmly believe in accountability. Our entire lives revolve around staying accountable to performance. While constant accountability is demanding, we wouldn't have it any other way. We learned this lesson the hard way when we invested in Sprint. While the outcome ended up highly profitable, thanks to the SoftBank take-out, the experience taught us about the importance of firm cultures and the role it plays in determining outcomes. The zoned out 'work-life balance' culture of Overland Park really couldn't compete with the New-York-based culture of Verizon. This is the same context of our efforts to improve the governance at The Swatch Group. We were truly humbled this year to have received 71% more votes than the prior year — with an increased bearer shareholder turnout, and a robust 80% support for us being the representative of this share class on the board. The company's own nominee failed to win support of this share class, in a sign that shareholders want better accountability. That accountability can't be self-directed by a board that has answered only to one shareholder group. Instead of allowing us to participate in that accountability mission, the Board instead plucked a non-nominated director to serve as the class representative. The company and its counsel are always tongue-tied when asked legally how it believes it can keep us off the Board. It used to be the directorship at Leonardo, but now with that no longer being a factor, it's truly at a loss. In Swiss courts, we have three ongoing actions against this demonstration of a cavalier disregard not just for shareholders, but for accountability. We can hardly wait for our next day in court, as we believe our chances of holding an unaccountable Board answerable to shareholders are very good. As our last six years have shown, small changes in governance can have dramatic impacts in board rooms that have not had the sense of urgency, drive and accountability to results. Any progress we can achieve at Swatch couldn't come at a better time. With improving fundamentals, rock bottom margins that have a high sensitivity to incremental revenue growth, coupled with a very high short interest (at times, the most shorted in Europe) and conviction that the governance of the company — long the weakest part of the Swatch Group investment case — will evolve, we are encouraged by the impact that we can have in the coming months on top of the solidly improving industry dynamics. |
| GNS.L | Whether it be Genus with its PRP gene-edit game-changer, NexGen Energy with its industry-changing uranium mine now federally approved and under construction, Rentokil with its customer service overhaul in the US, or our most recent coinvestment, all of these positions have conservative balance sheets, but extremely high upside leverage to their ongoing initiatives to improve the quality, mix and drivers of their businesses. |
| NXE.TO | Whether it be Genus with its PRP gene-edit game-changer, NexGen Energy with its industry-changing uranium mine now federally approved and under construction, Rentokil with its customer service overhaul in the US, or our most recent coinvestment, all of these positions have conservative balance sheets, but extremely high upside leverage to their ongoing initiatives to improve the quality, mix and drivers of their businesses. |
| RTO.L | Whether it be Genus with its PRP gene-edit game-changer, NexGen Energy with its industry-changing uranium mine now federally approved and under construction, Rentokil with its customer service overhaul in the US, or our most recent coinvestment, all of these positions have conservative balance sheets, but extremely high upside leverage to their ongoing initiatives to improve the quality, mix and drivers of their businesses. |
| Ticker | Put/Call | Amount Bought | Shares Bought | % Change | Weight % |
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