Elliott Management slate of nominees for Salesforce board reflects activist investor interest in company. Talks between the company and activists have apparently broken down, signaling the start of a potential proxy fight.
Elliott has put forth a slate of directors that he trusts to help the company navigate its rocky waters. He believes in their abilities and is confident that they will be able to turn around Salesforce’s fortunes.
It seems Elliott has been putting maximum pressure on the company through dialogue and through these nominations, yet Salesforce still intends to report earnings later today. The company will be watching closely to see what happens tonight when Elliott releases its stock price predictions and whether or not there are any changes made to Salesforce’s board of directors.
Closely following the release of quarterly earnings, Elliott Management Corporation (Elliott) will make decisions about its future actions and priorities. If Elliott’s Board of Directors approves changes recommended by CEO Steven M. Cohen, these plans could focus on enhancing company value and improving employee morale. However, it is still unclear what specific proposals Cohen will offer during the company’s quarterly earnings call later this evening.
Given Elliott’s aggressive plans to change the company, some board members may struggle to provide guidance and support. The members of the current slate nominated by Elliott reportedly have little experience in corporate governance or business operations. This could create communication and coordination challenges as Elliott implements its plans, potentially hindering shareholder value growth.
The company has laid off 10% of its workforce and announced other changes like cutting its real estate footprint in an effort to slash costs. This move seems to be having the desired effect, as the company has already reported financial gains from these cuts. If this trend continues, it may well mean a resurgence for the struggling company.
There is speculation that the five Activists working inside Salesforce are all trying to push it in a different direction, with Elliott appearing to be leading the charge. They have all made large investments into the company, valuing it at over $50 billion and are clearly looking for ways to improve its performance. Whether these moves will result in disruption within the company or lead to an acquisition is yet to be seen, but it will be interesting to see how things develop.
Despite their recent troubles, many investors are still bullish on Salesforce. The company is expected to report earnings after the bell today and analysts are predicting strong results. The cloud-based customer relationship management (CRM) software provider has been experiencing growing pains recently, but these issues do not seem to have impaired its long-term prospects. Salesforce is
