The Rise Of Shareholder Activism

What is the effect of shareholder activism on corporations?

Shareholder advisory and activism is when shares are used as leverage to be able to impact large decisions. Although its activity was significantly stagnant during the pandemic, both 2021 and 2022 have undoubtedly seen an increase in the acquisition of stakes in order to agitate for management changes - yet it is still to be determined whether this growing development is altogether for the better, or worse, for the financial services. 

Shareholder activism allows companies to change the governance, performance or strategy of a company. Activist investors often identify companies that are underperforming, purchase a large number of shares, and try to obtain board seats in order to effect major change. Their ability to generally add value is reflected in how activist shareholders create 130 basis points of excess return above the relevant S&P industry index. Most recently, it has been confirmed that Elliott Management has taken a material stake and has been accumulating stock in PayPal holdings. The fintech company has seen a steady decline in shares this year, having lost one-fourth of their value since last year due to the decrease in post-pandemic e-commerce and online payment activity. Elliott Management’s impacts can already be seen, with PayPal’s stocks having started rising since mere public speculations of the activist investor joining. 

Shareholder activism can also be praised for its ESG implications, as it allows for increased attention to environmentally sustainable and socially conscious business operations. A renowned example is from May 2021, when US oil giant ExxonMobil was taken over by impact investment firm Engine No.1, who successfully staged a boardroom installing three rebel directors. This sped up the company’s energy transition and also caused Chevron and Shell to respond with their own respective energy-transition plans, in fear of such a boardroom siege. Since this pivotal time for energy companies, ESG shareholder advisory has certainly continued to increase. In May this year, billionaire financier and renowned shareholder activist, Carl Icahn, was contesting for two board seats at McDonald’s, campaigning over the fast-food chain’s treatment of pigs. Despite failing to win backing for two board nominees, Icahn’s attempt again reiterates the potential of shareholder advisory for sustainable decision making in the future. 

However, agitating for management changes in the boardroom can also create further issues for corporations that disagree with the activist investor’s proposed changes. Investment banks can provide advisory services to defend these corporations and make sure that an activist investor does not gain too much of a stake in the client company, and even counter activists’ demands. Introducing Brokers (IBs) can do this through preparing a comprehensive financial analysis of the client by peer-benchmarking operational metrics, analysing SG&A costs, taking a critical view of capex and analysing shareholder voting trends, reviewing the share structure of a company and evaluating strategies of share buybacks, dividends, and even simply providing effective investor engagement strategies and helping management build strong and productive relationships with institutional investors. A prime example includes Bank of America, who has been ranked as the top financial adviser to companies targeted by activist investors in 2021, having advised on 35 campaigns.

In short, shareholder activism’s impacts on both improving and impairing a corporation’s management, as well as its potential ESG implications, undoubtedly makes it an interesting development to keep an eye on over the next year.

By June-Seo Cheung