"Tracking Carl Icahn’s Portfolio – Q2 2018 Update"
"Carl Icahn’s 13F portfolio value increased from $20.12B to $24.14B this quarter.Herbalife and Cheniere Energy were reduced while increasing Newell Brands.Icahn Enterprises, CVR Energy, and Herbalife are the three largest positions.This article is part of a series that provides an ongoing analysis of the changes made to Carl Icahn’s 13F portfolio on a quarterly basis. It is based on Icahn’s regulatory  filed on 08/14/2018. Please visit our  to get an idea of his investment philosophy and our  for the fund’s moves during Q1 2018.This quarter, Icahn’s 13F portfolio value increased ~20% from $20.12B to $24.14B. The number of holdings increased from 16 to 21. The portfolio is very concentrated with the largest five positions accounting for ~78% of the entire holdings: Icahn Enterprises, CVR Energy, Herbalife, Cheniere Energy, and Freeport-McMoran.Carl Icahn is best known for building sizable stakes in businesses and then pushing for changes to increase shareholder value. To learn more about his investing style and philosophy check out “”.Note: Icahn’s 13F filing is a consolidated report and so should not be viewed as a single portfolio. Specifically, Icahn Enterprises holds several of the businesses and the entities in turn hold Icahn Enterprises. For an idea on the business structure, check-out  (Slide 5).New Stakes:Energen Corp. (EGN): EGN is a 1.57% of the portfolio stake purchased this quarter at prices between the low-60s and the low-70s. The stock is now at $77.55. Icahn controls ~5.4% of the business.VMWare Inc. (VMW) and Dell Technologies (DVMT): VMW is a 1.38% of the portfolio position purchased at prices between $119 and $151 and the stock is now just above that range at ~$153. The 0.84% DVMT stake was established at prices between $70 and $90 and it is now well above that range at $96.17.AmTrust Financial (AFSI): AFSI is a 1.11% of the portfolio stake established at a cost-basis of ~$13 per share. AFSI is going private at $14.75 per share cash and shareholders have approved the deal. Icahn controls 9.38% of the business.Note: The initial offer by the controlling family (Zysking/Karfunkel) was at $13.50 per share and Icahn sued successfully to up the price.Cigna Corp. (CI): CI is a minutely small 0.35% of the portfolio position established at prices between $165 and $181 and the stock is now at ~$188.Stake Disposals:None.Stake Decreases:Herbalife (HLF): HLF is a large (top three) ~8% of the 13F portfolio stake first purchased in Q1 2013 in the high-teens price range. Q3 2016 saw a ~15% increase at prices between $29 and $34 and that was followed with a similar increase the following quarter at prices between $24 and $32. This quarter saw the position sold down by ~25% at $52.50 per share. The stock currently trades at $56.59.Note 1: Icahn controls ~22% of the business. On March 1, 2018, Icahn  that his profit on HLF was ~$1B. The stock was trading at ~$46 at the time.Note 2: The prices quoted above are adjusted for the 2-for-1 stock-split in April.Cheniere Energy (LNG): LNG is a large (top five) ~6% portfolio position. The bulk of it was purchased in Q3 2015 at prices between $47.50 and $70.50. Q4 2015 saw a ~15% increase at prices between $36 and $54. There was an about turn this quarter: ~28% reduction at ~$65. The stock currently trades at $66.93.Note: Icahn’s ownership stake in the business is 9.8%.Stake Increases:Icahn Enterprises (IEP): IEP is a very long-term position that has seen consistent buying over the years. The position size saw increases from ~98M shares to ~102M shares in 2013, to ~109M shares in 2014, to ~117M shares in 2015, to ~130M shares in 2016, and to ~158M shares as of Q4 2017. The stake was kept steady last quarter but saw a ~5% increase at ~$66.5 per share cost-basis this quarter. The stock currently trades at $76.81.Newell Brands (NWL): NWL is a 3.56% of the portfolio position established last quarter at a cost-basis of $27.40 per share. The stock is now below that at $21.72. This quarter saw a ~10% stake increase at prices between $23 and $28. For investors attempting to follow Icahn, NWL is a good option to consider for further research.Note 1: Regulatory filings since the quarter ended show them owning 38.3M shares (8.1% of business). This is compared to 33.3M shares in the 13F report. The increase was at ~$21.50 per share cost-basis.Note 2: In April, rival activist Starboard Value came to an  with Carl Icahn whereby they now together control Newell’s board.Kept Steady:CVR Energy Inc. (CVI): CVI is a large (top tree) ~11% of the 13F portfolio position first purchased in Q4 2011. The bulk of the current position (71.2M shares: ~71% of the whole business) was purchased through a $30 per share tender offer in H1 2012. The stock currently trades at $38.05.Note 1: Two MLPs were carved out since the 2012 tender: CVR Refining (CVRR) the refining portion and CVR Partners (UAN) the nitrogen fertilizer unit. CVR Energy has majority ownership stake in both. In August 2015, CVR Partners agreed to merge with Rentech Nitrogen. This quarter saw a tender offer whereby new CVR Energy shares were exchanged for CVRR at a valuation of $24.26 per common unit (0.6335 shares of CVI for one CVRR). ~22M new shares were issued.Note 2: Icahn disclosed that CVI stock including dividends was up ~62% as of EOY2016 from the tender offer at $30. CVI stock was trading at $25.39 at the time. So, his adjusted cost-basis was $15.67 as of that date.Freeport-McMoran Inc. (FCX): FCX is a fairly large 3.59% of the portfolio stake established in Q3 2015 at prices between $7.50 and $18.50. Q4 2016 saw a ~12% trimming at prices between $9.50 and $16.50. Q3 2017 saw another ~16% selling at prices between $11.89 and $15.55 and that was followed with a one-third reduction last quarter at prices between $17 and $20. The stock currently trades at $14.05.Navistar International (NAV): NAV is a 2.82% of the 13F portfolio long-term position. The last significant activity follow: ~22% increase in Q2 & Q3 2014 at prices between $29 and $38. The stock currently trades at $43.57. There was a very minor ~3% increase in Q1 2017 at ~$25.70.Note: Icahn controls ~17% of the business.Xerox Corporation (XRX): XRX is a 2.33% of the portfolio position established in Q4 2015 at prices between $24 and $32. The stock is now at $27.86. There was a ~5% trimming last quarter.Note 1: Icahn controls 9.21% of the business. In December, Icahn launched a proxy battle nominating four new board members in an effort to stop the Xerox-Fujifilm deal announced earlier. In early May, Xerox scrapped the deal with Fujifilm in a settlement with Icahn and Darwin Deason (another activist alongside Icahn).Note 2: Icahn’s activism earned him three board seats in 2016. Xerox spun-off Conduent and that transaction closed in January 2017. That was followed with a 1:4 stock-split in June. The prices quoted above are adjusted for these two transactions.American Railcar Industries (ARII): ARII is a long-term ~2% of the portfolio position held steady this quarter.  Icahn owns ~62% of ARII.Hertz Global Holdings (HTZ): HTZ is a ~2% of the portfolio position. It was established in Q3 2014 at a cost-basis of ~$105. In Q4 2014, the stake was increased by just over one-third at prices between $72 and $95. Q4 2015 saw another ~23% increase at prices between $51 and $74. Q4 2016 saw another ~125% increase at prices between $21 and $40. The stock currently trades at $17.61.Note 1: Icahn controls ~35% of the business. The total outlay so far is ~$1.85B and the market value is ~$450M.Note 2: The prices quoted above are adjusted for the Herc Holdings spinoff in Q2 2016.Conduent Inc. (CNDT): The stake came about as a result of Conduent’s spinoff from Xerox that closed in January last year. Terms called for Xerox shareholders to receive Conduent shares in the ratio 1:5. The current CNDT stake is consistent with this ratio: Icahn owned 99M shares of Xerox for which he received 19.8M shares of Conduent. CNDT started trading at ~$15 and currently goes for $23.18.Herc Holdings (HRI): HRI is a very small ~1% of the portfolio position established in Q2 2016 as a result of the spinoff of Herc Holdings from Hertz Global Holdings. There was a ~4% stake increase in Q3 2017 at ~$38.50. The stock started trading at ~$33 and currently goes for $52.58.Note: Icahn controls ~16% of the business.Welbilt Inc. (WBT) previously Manitowoc Food Service: The very small ~1% of the portfolio WBT stake was established as a result of the spin-off from Manitowoc. The spin-off terms called for one share of WBT for each share of MTW held. Icahn held 10.58M shares of MTW for which he received the same number of WBT shares. Regular-way trading started in early March 2016 with WBT at $13.41. It currently trades at $22.13 compared to Icahn’s cost-basis of ~$15. There was a ~5% trimming in Q4 2017.Note: Icahn controls ~7% of the business.CVR Refining LP (CVRR): CVRR is a minutely small 0.53% of the 13F portfolio position established in Q1 2013 as a result of the spin-off (carve-out) of CVR Refining from CVR Energy. The position was increased by 50% in Q2 2013 at prices between $28 and $35. The stock currently trades at $21.40.Sandridge Energy (SD): SD is a 0.35% of the portfolio activist stake established in Q4 2017 at prices between $16 and $21 and the stock is now below that range at $15.86.Note: Icahn has a 13.51% ownership stake in the business. He lobbied the board and succeeded in ending the Bonanza Creek acquisition on December 28, 2017. In June, Icahn gained control of Sandridge’s board by winning a proxy battle for board seats.Manitowoc Company (MTW): MTW is a very small 0.18% of the portfolio activist stake. It was established in Q4 2014 at prices between $14 and $22 and increased by ~136% in Q1 2015 at prices between $16 and $22. The stock currently trades at $23.19. There was a ~36% selling last quarter at prices between $32.50 and $34.50.Note: The prices quoted above are adjusted for the Welbilt spin-off in March 2016 and the 1-for-4 stock-split last November.Note 1: Icahn also owns significant stakes in the following OTC stocks as per latest regulatory filings: ~15% of Enzon Pharmaceuticals (ENZN), ~79% of Viskase Companies (VKSC), and ~53% of Voltari Corp (VLTC). He is also known to have a position in Fannie/Freddie (FNMA) (FMCC).Note 2: In April, Icahn entered into an agreement to sell majority owned Tropicana Entertainment’s (TPCA) real-estate assets to Gaming & Leisure Properties and (GLPI) and gaming & hotel operations to Eldorado Resorts (ERI).The spreadsheet below highlights changes to Icahn’s US stock holdings in Q2 2018:3/18/2018 – Icahn  reached with NWL – four new directors to join board.3/16/2018 – Icahn  6.86% (33.3M shares) active stake in Newell Brands (NWL). Total Outlay: ~$916M total outlay - cost-basis $27.52. The stake was first revealed March 1st. Starboard Value is already in a proxy fight but Icahn has not decided which side he will be on.Regulatory Filings from 2/19 thru 5/19/2018: 13D/A – 5/18, 5/11, 4/23, 4/16, 4/4,  – SD – Misc, Two Directors to be appointed – slate expanded from 5 to 7,seeking to nominate & elect 5 board members, 13D – 5/17 – AFSI – 18.4M shares – 9.4%, 6.93M shares purchased at $90.3 (~$13 cost-basis) and the rest in forward contracts – opposes the going private transaction by the Zyskind/Karfunkel families for $13.50 per share, 13D/A – 5/16, Form 4 4/27 – TPCA – sale related, Form 4 & 13D/A – 5/15, 5/10, 5/7, 5/4, 4/20, 4/17, 3/14, 3/2, 2/20,  – XRX – Group with Darwin Deason termination (as a result of Director Appointment, Nomination & Settlement agreement with Xerox) & so no longer 10% owner, 23.5M shares – 9.21% of business, 13D/A – 4/23, 3/19, 3/16,  – NWL – misc director nomination agreement amendment, 33.8M shares – 6.96% of business, 30.28M shares acquired at $27.4 thru purchase ($829.7M outlay), the rest ~3M shares in forward contracts, 13D/A & Form 4 – 4/18 – IEP – 162.4M shares – 91.2%, 4.5M shares acquired at $60.81, 13D/1 – 3/20 – HLF – lock-up agreement with Notes purchasers related, 13D/A – 2/22 – MTW – 1.7M shares – 4.85% of business – selling at between $32.50 & $34.50,4/16/2018 – Icahn  Tropicana for $1.85B."