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Jeff Gramm is the Founder and Portfolio Manager at Bandera Partners, an investment firm focused on special situation and activist investing. Jeff is also the author of Dear Chairman: Boardroom Battles and the Rise of Shareholder Activism. This episode includes a deep dive into capital allocation, shareholder governance and activist investing. It also recounts great stories from Popeyes, Joint Corp (JYNT), PAR Technology (PAR), Donnelley Financial (DFIN) and Denny's (DENN). To learn more about Jeff please follow him @jeff_gramm on Twitter. To learn more about Richard or to request a transcript of the podcast please visit www.thinkaen.com. To order a copy of Jeff's book please use this link here. Show Notes: (1:08) Background and introduction from Jeff. He talks about Columbia Business School and taking Joel Greenblatt's class. (03:06) Getting an MBA at Columbia and the value investing program. Figuring things out. Mario Gabelli and Seth Klarman. (05:45) Jeff's most difficult classes at Columbia. (06:30) Working at HBV Capital post MBA. Looking at bankruptcies. Denny's investment and filing 13Ds. (10:13) The ‘ins and outs' of filing a 13D. (16:43) Position tracking and Popeyes Investment. How to trim a portfolio holding. Cheryl Bachelder. (19:36) The Power of Anchoring stock investments. Management's ability to create long-term value. Overcoming mental exercise of looking at portfolio every day. (21:37) JYNT Twitter Spaces with Edwin Dorsey @stockjabber (23:27) DFIN, DENN, JYNT and Popeyes going over the similarities and differences. (25:39) Speaking to other investors about portfolio holdings. Hearing the Bear Cases. (26:47) Investor fatigue on special situations and how it can sometimes create massive opportunities. Discussing 5+ year incremental returns chart posted by Dennis Hong. (30:37) Idea Generation Process and Wishful Thinking versus Fundamental Reality. (33:13) The Benefits and Dangers of speaking to company management. (34:14) Jeff has been on six company board of directors and he gives a brief overview of what it entails. (38:08) Talking about the role of a board of directors. Star Group Investment (SGU) (39:11) Public Company Annual Meetings. What you can learn and how it benefits investors. (41:22) Other Activist Investors. (42:38) Executive Compensation. Jeff delves into his contrarian thoughts. Performance over optics.
It's okay to call activist investors corporate raiders. At least that's the view of Jeff Gramm, the author of “Dear Chairman: Boardroom Battles and the Rise of Shareholder Activism.” Gramm talked to The Deal for its Activist Investing Today podcast about his book, why he launched a proxy fight at Texas Restaurant chain Luby's and what he thinks about CEO pay packages.“ One big theme of the book is that these shareholder activists through history are kind of all the same,” Gramm said. “They are economic actors out to seek a buck on their investments in public companies and they use engagement with public companies as a means to generate their alpha.”
Is the corporate world an ‘insiders only’ club, or do ordinary shareholders have a real say in the company? Learn how shareholder activism may be changing the face of corporate America. Jeff Gramm, a portfolio manager at Bandera Partners, adjunct professor at Columbia Business School, and author, discusses what shareholder activism means for companies in the long run. Jeff gives examples of how shareholders can make significant changes to a company’s board of directors. How shareholders can have a voice in corporate decisions? Are you working with the right financial advisor? Doug put together a sheet for investors called What All Investors Need to Know About Their Investment Accounts. One of Doug’s recommendations is having an open channel of communication with your financial advisor. To better understand what a financial advisor does for you and your portfolio, watch this video. Free download: What All Investors Need to Know About Their Investment Accounts Learn more Jeff Gramm on his website or read his book Dear Chairman: Boardroom Battles and the Rise of Shareholder Activism. Also, follow him on Twitter. If you’re not already receiving updates on new episodes, sign up now, and as a special bonus, receive Doug’s free ebook The Retirement Planning Book.
In this bonus episode of The Dismal Science, Ivan interviews Jeff Gramm, hedge fund manager and author of Dear Chairman: Boardroom Battles and the Rise of Shareholder Activism. The book, which was on the AICD's summer reading list, traces the history of shareholder activism through eight famous shareholder letters and touches on many themes relevant to directors, including the relationship between board and management, director independence, the role of proxy advisers and the perils of groupthink.
In this week's Five Good Questions, we're interviewing Jeff Gramm about his book Dear Chairman. http://amzn.to/2eQaVZV Jeff manages a hedge fund and teaches value investing at Columbia Business School. His recently published book, Dear Chairman: Boardroom Battles and the Rise of Shareholder Activism, has been praised as "a terrific read" by Andrew Ross Sorkin in the New York Times, "a revelation" by the Financial Times, "a grand story" by The Wall Street Journal, and “an engaging and informative book” by The New Yorker. 1. I’ve heard you previously interviewed and have been impressed with your thoughts around governance and board dynamics. How can boards help management make better strategic decisions, especially with respect to capital allocation? 2. I’ve heard Munger say you could teach an entire MBA just from studying GM. Could you walk us through some of your insights, specifically during the period of Ross Perot’s involvement? 3. Of all of the stories, which one was your favorite to research? 4. We all see these major headlines of activists battling with management, but what percent of the work would you guess is being done behind the scenes? 5. The arc of activism seems to have gone from Graham’s “would you mind releasing some of these pent up assets, please?” to Icahn’s 1980s hostile takeovers to Loeb’s poison pen and quite personal attacks. Maybe it’s softening a little from there? Where do you see the future of activism going from here?
August 19 (Bloomberg) -- Bloomberg View columnist Barry Ritholtz interviews Jeff Gramm, who is the founder of Bandera Partners LLC. He is also the author of "Dear Chairman: Boardroom Battles and the Rise of Shareholder Activism." This commentary aired on Bloomberg Radio.u0010u0010(Barry Ritholtz is a Bloomberg View columnist. The opinions expressed are his own.)
This week we have a very down to earth conversation with hedge fund manager, professor, and author, Jeff Gramm. Although we cover many topics, we specifically discuss the morality of a career in finance, how to pick a winning company, and Jeff’s new book, Dear Chairman: Boardroom Battles and the Rise of Shareholder Activism. In...
Apple squares off with the FBI. Investors bid Priceline higher. Wal-Mart stumbles. And Boston Beer falls flat. Our analysts discuss those stories and share three stocks on their radar. Plus, hedge fund manager Jeff Gramm shares some insights from his new book, Dear Chairman: Boardroom Battles and the Rise of Shareholder Activism.