Carl Icahn has made a few bucks over the years and wants to make some more on Time Warner (TWX). Seems like he has had to cool his heels lately upon making some compromises in his discussions with the TWX Board about his desire to sell off some assets. I think what has him so animated is Time Warner's book value which is a 1.25 multiple. Consider the following comparisons.
- Comcast (CMCS.A) has a P/B of 1.66. -- Cable
- Knight Ridder (KRI) has a P/B of 3.6. -- Publishing
- Disney (DIS) has a P/B of 2.2. -- Movies/TV/Entertainment
- Yahoo (YHOO) has a P/B of 5.88. -- Internet
If you figure that some assets do not have a 1.25 P/B then you must figure that many holdings should be valued way over considering how much is aggregated into TWX. You can see in comparing TWX's book value to other competing companies with more segregated businesses that the multiple could be much higher; but even a small increase would mean billions in added value.
Icahn and his fellow instigators ... I mean investors, surely see this. So maybe TWX has some upside. As a shareholder I can tell you that is why I have hung on. However my entry point is far less than today's $17.20 price and I can understand why others are less patient. This will be something to watch because Icahn has to be on the less patient side as well.
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