Tuesday, June 12, 2007

Paperstand (MFW, RSH)

The WSJ’s „Heard on the Street” column discusses M&F Worldwide (MFW) whose stock has soared from $17 to $65 in just 6 mo’s. Among the biggest fans of M&F are hedge funds, which own more than 30% of the co's shares. Some of these funds say they relish the opportunity to invest alongside Ronald Perelman and say they are willing to overlook the billionaire financier's missteps at Revlon. Others say the fact that few analysts cover M&F makes it an overlooked gem that could keep climbing as Wall St. catches on. "The stock is still cheap," argues Doug Teitelbaum, of Bay Harbour Mgmt. "Over time, [Mr. Perelman and his partners] have made some great acquisitions." He says it is "foolish" to hold Revlon against Mr. Perelman, given his past successes.

Barron’s Online “Inside Scoop” section reprots that Goldman Sachs Asset Mgmt has recently started shacking up shares of RadiosShack (RSH). The investment behemoth disclosed that it now owns a 12.6% stake, or 17m shares, up from the 1.7m shares it disclosed in a list of its holdings on Mar 31. Ben Silverman, of InsiderScore.com, says, "It seems like a contrarian call to be that aggressive buying into strength, but I think it suggests that the portfolio managers at Goldman Sachs have a lot of long-term faith in the stock." He adds, "Let's put it this way, if you are a bull [on RadioShack shares], it supports your take. If you are a bear, it's a bit of a head-scratcher."

No comments: