Paulson Takes Fight To Split The Hartford To Shareholders
22.05.12
Paulson stopped short of launching a proxy battle in which he would seek to unseat board members and replace them with others who would implement his plan. Rather, he said his firm has already lobbied management, and "expects to begin having such discussions or communications with shareholders" in an effort to force a split.
His efforts follow a disastrous 2011 for shares of The Hartford, which fell by 38 percent. The share price has recovered somewhat this year but is still well below the recent peak of $31 a year ago.
The Hartford, in a statement late Tuesday, said it recognizes potental benefits to splitting the company.
"While there are challenges ... we welcome Paulson's views and look forward to continued dialogue with him and other shareholders," the statement said. "We are evaluating the company's strategy and business portfolio with the goal of delivering shareholder value."
Paulson's letter included charts showing, for example, that few Wall Street analysts who follow The Hartford also follow other property-casualty companies, such as The Travelers Cos. Share value would increase after a split, he said, because the higher values generally assigned to property-casualty companies would be suddenly realized.
Source: Hartford Courant