The Globe and Mail reports in its Wednesday edition that Pershing Square Capital Management head Bill Ackman has ended his love affair with
Canadian Pacific Railway. The Globe's David Parkinson writes that now it is up to other
investors to decide if they need
to break it off, too.
Mr. Ackman announced Monday Pershing would
sell up to seven million shares of CP
in the open market over then
next six to 12 months. Pershing's sale would trim its
stake back to less than 10 per
cent, from 14 per cent.
Investors want
to know what Mr. Ackman's decision
implies about the company
and their investment in it.
Mr. Ackman said nothing against
CP, but its share-price
success had swelled it to 26 per
cent of Pershing's holdings, which is too much concentrated in
a single stock. Mr. Parkinson says trimming the CP
position is just good portfolio
management.
If Pershing sold the seven million
shares today, it would get nearly
$1-billion, which is triple what it
paid for them in the fall of 2011.
With the price expensive and
the big gains from CP's restructuring
already largely priced into
the stock, Mr. Ackman may be
cashing out near the top. Finally, Mr. Ackman may now have doubts Keystone will fail.
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