Billionaire investor Bill Ackman is making moves to sell off a 10% stake in Pershing Square, aiming to eventually turn his investment firm into a publicly traded company. His company is in the process of raising $1.05 billion through a funding round, which would represent a 10% share of the management entity and suggest a valuation of $10.5 billion, according to an insider. The investors involved are mainly big institutions and private wealth offices who have chosen to keep their identities under wraps, the insider confirmed.
Initial reports about these plans came from The Wall Street Journal. Pershing Square declined to comment when asked. This injection of funds is a strategic step by the hedge-fund manager towards a possible initial public offering (IPO) in the US, though the formal process hasn’t started yet, the insider revealed. Two years ago, Ackman appointed Ryan Israel as the chief investment officer, a significant change from his usual setup. While Ackman remains the CEO and has the final say, he has publicly said that Israel would take over running the firm if anything unexpected happened.
As of April, Pershing Square managed assets worth $18.6 billion, mostly held in Pershing Square Holdings, a fund traded on European stock exchanges. Ackman has gained recognition globally as a top hedge-fund investor, thanks to his consistent market success and outspoken advocacy efforts. He also has a large following on social media, with 1.2 million followers, where he discusses various issues from social concerns to politics. Earlier this year, Ackman announced plans for a new investment vehicle to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange, capitalizing on his significant retail investor base. This proposed vehicle is a publicly traded fund focusing on investments in 12 to 24 large-cap, high-quality companies with strong growth prospects in North America. As of March, Ackman’s hedge fund portfolio had only six stocks, including Alphabet, Chipotle Mexican Grill, and Hilton Hotels. Notably, the fund saw a significant gain of 26.7% in the past year. In 2022, Ackman decided to stop engaging in activist short selling, a practice that had previously caused a high-profile clash with Herbalife, marking a notable shift in his investment strategy.
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