Bill Ackman is the big winner from Suntory's Beam deal Bill Ackman has emerged as the biggest winner from Suntory's acquisition of Beam after the deal topped up the profits from his investment in Fortune Brands to an estimated $1.4bn. He is also credited with making the blockbuster deal possible. The US activist investor made $350m profit as Beam shares jumped 24pc on Monday following its $16bn takeover by the Japanese drinks group. Mr Ackman's Pershing Square is the $13.6bn whiskey group's biggest shareholder with a 12.8pc stake. The financier's stake in Beam, now worth around $1.7bn, came from an initial $765m investment in Fortune Brands in October 2010. He used the position to push Fortune's management into breaking up itself up into three companies, including Beam. Ackman argued that the conglomerate, which made whiskey, golf equipment and home products, would be worth far more as individual companies. Put together his returns from the original stake are thought to be around $1.4bn. Fortune sold its Titleist golf business to Fila Korea and a South Korean private equity company for $1.2bn in 2010. Fortune Brands Home & Security, which included Master Lock, was sold to shareholders and has a market value of $7.8bn. Shares in Beam, whose drinks brands include Jim Beam bourbon, Laphroaig and Courvoisier cognac, rose 24pc after becoming independent in 2011. Suntory, which bought Lucozade and Ribena from GSK last year, said it will pay Beam investors $83.50 a share - a 25pc premium to the company's Friday close and 20 times its EBITDA. The boards of both companies agreed the deal unanimously saying that it would create a "stronger global player in premium spirits with annual net sales of spirits products exceeding $4.3bn." The deal could create the world's third biggest drinks company. The price was described as "punchy" by Trevor Stirling, an analyst at Berstein Research. But some traders are betting that a higher counterbid might emerge. Mr Ackman has not been as successful in all his investments. He's lost an estimated $500m in betting against Herbalife, a vitamin and health company whose shares keep rising.