(Reuters) - Activist investor Elliott has disclosed a 460 million pound ($656 million) position in Britain's biggest hotel and coffee-shop operator Whitbread Plc.
Elliott's stake of more than 6 percent, which made it the largest shareholder in the company, follows a flurry of recent activity in Europe.
American Paul Elliott Singer's hedge fund firm was established in 1977 and has a reputation as being one of the most vocal activists internationally.
Here are some of Elliott's top holdings in Europe by current market value, according to Thomson Reuters Eikon data, and details of its recent campaigns. The hedge fund declined to comment on its investments.
- 4.66 percent or $1.4 billion
- Disclosed in letter from Elliott on April 10, 2017
- Called for the company to sell off its oil business and ditch its dual listing structure
Akzo Nobel (>> AkzoNobel):
- 5.01 percent or 998.7 million euros ($1.23 billion)
- First revealed by Wall Street Journal on March 17
- Asked Dutch paint maker to consider a sale to PPG Industries last year but request rejected
- 8.85 percent or 711.7 million euros
- Disclosed on March 5
- Called for six Vivendi-nominated board members to be replaced to improve performance and corporate governance
- 6 percent or 460 million pounds
- First revealed on April 14
Sky:
- 2.8359 percent or 366.5 million pounds
- First revealed stake in UK filing on Jan. 26
Italian soccer club AC Milan:
- 300 million euro funding.
- First revealed Mar. 27, 2017
- Financed a Chinese consortium to fund the acquisition of players and bank debt repayments at AC Milan
GKN:
- 3.8 percent or 284.8 million pounds
- First disclosed stake on Jan. 15
- Pressured GKN to engage in takeover talks with potential acquirer Melrose Industries before deal went ahead
Waterstones:
- Over 250 million pounds
- Elliott is reportedly in talks to buy the British bookseller, according to reports from Sky News
- 2.4 percent or 207 million euros in German utility
- Stake in takeover target announced on Dec. 5, 2017
- 3.6 percent or 188.2 million euros
- Stake in German pharmaceutical company first revealed by Bloomberg report on July 6, 2017
- 3.01 percent or 185.9 million euro stake in German food processing company
- First revealed stake on Oct. 11, 2017
- 4.0967 percent or 68 million pounds
- Elliott first revealed stake in British software firm on Feb. 21
- 0.94 percent or 36.9 million Swiss francs ($38.44 million)
- First disclosed position in airport retailer on Dec. 20, 2017
- Size of stake in software company not disclosed
- Revealed by a report, citing unamed sources, by Bloomberg earlier this month
($1 = 0.7012 pounds)
($1 = 0.8090 euros)
($1 = 0.9600 Swiss francs)
(Reporting by Maiya Keidan and Simon Jessop; Editing by Keith Weir)
