The Nature of Short Selling Attacks and Short Reports -
Short selling attacks create unique challenges for boards, management teams and companies. Unlike traditional long activists, whose ultimate goal is to enhance...more
Short sellers make their money by publishing information that attacks a company in order to drive down its share price. How can a company prepare? And what should it not do in the face of a short attack? We offer some tips in...more
9/7/2023
/ Acquisitions ,
Anti-Competitive ,
Antitrust Division ,
Board of Directors ,
Corporate Governance ,
Delisting ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Foreign Subsidies ,
Horizontal Merger Guidelines ,
Internal Investigations ,
Mergers ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Litigation ,
Securities Regulation ,
Sellers ,
Share Buybacks ,
Shareholders ,
Short Selling ,
UK
Despite a slowdown in M&A activity and macroeconomic headwinds, stockholder activism remains a potentially powerful tool for investors aiming to extract value from companies. The activism landscape continues to evolve as new...more
6/27/2023
/ Acquisitions ,
Activist Investors ,
Capital Markets ,
Corporate Governance ,
Mergers ,
New Rules ,
Proxy Season ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Securities ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Shareholder Proposals ,
Shareholders
This edition of Skadden’s quarterly Insights looks at the latest trends in shareholder activism, the scrutiny companies are facing over their ESG disclosures and employment considerations for using AI in the workplace, among...more
6/27/2023
/ Acquisitions ,
Activist Investors ,
Anti-Discrimination Policies ,
Anti-Money Laundering ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Capital Markets ,
Confidential Information ,
Corporate Governance ,
Corporate Restructuring ,
Cryptoassets ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Disclosure ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
Financial Institutions ,
Member State ,
Mergers ,
New Rules ,
No-Action Requests ,
Private Equity ,
Proxy Season ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Litigation ,
Shareholders ,
Technology ,
UK
Shareholder meetings held this year are subject to new rules that require both companies and activist shareholders to use “universal” proxy cards in contested board elections. Until now, the company and the dissident...more
2/22/2023
/ Activist ,
Board of Directors ,
Bylaws ,
New Rules ,
Proxy Season ,
Proxy Voting ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Shareholders ,
Universal Proxy ,
Universal Proxy Cards
The Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC’s) new universal proxy rules, which took effect for meetings after August 31, 2022, require the use of “universal” proxy cards in all director election contests, except for...more
1/6/2023
/ Board of Directors ,
Bylaws ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Disclosure ,
New Rules ,
Proxy Voting ,
Proxy Voting Guidelines ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Shareholders ,
Universal Proxy Cards
On July 13, 2022, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), by a 3-2 vote, proposed amendments to the proxy rules that would narrow certain grounds under which companies may exclude shareholder proposals from their...more
On July 13, 2022, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), by a 3-2 vote, adopted amendments to the rules governing proxy voting advice businesses (proxy advisors), rescinding two components of the proxy rules...more
This year, we expect to see new disclosure requirements; rule changes at the Securities and Exchange Commission that will affect directors; activists adopting new tactics; changes to shareholder voting processes; tax and...more
On February 10, 2022, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) voted 3-1 to approve proposed changes to public company beneficial ownership reporting requirements. The SEC has long considered such changes to the...more
Takeaways -
ESG activist campaigners are likely to continue asserting themselves.
Companies that have merged with SPACs and whose stock prices have slumped will be at risk for activist pressure.
Watch for more activist...more
2/7/2022
/ Corporate Governance ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Glass Lewis ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Institutional Investors ,
Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) ,
Popular ,
Proxy Season ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Shareholder Proposals ,
Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs)
On November 17, 2021, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) adopted amendments to the proxy rules mandating the use of universal proxy cards in contested elections. The new rules require both companies and dissidents...more
On November 3, 2021, the Division of Corporation Finance (Staff) of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) published Staff Legal Bulletin No. 14L (SLB 14L), which explicitly rescinds Staff Legal Bulletin Nos. 14I,...more
Takeaways
- Activism is likely to rebound as the business world recovers from COVID-19 disruptions.
- Some activists are raising permanent capital, giving them new leverage, and activist approaches have become more...more
Proxy advisory firms Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) and Glass Lewis recently announced updates to their proxy voting guidelines for the 2021 proxy season. These updates reflect institutional investors’ increased...more
12/14/2020
/ Board of Directors ,
Corporate Governance ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Diversity ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Glass Lewis ,
Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) ,
Proxy Season ,
Proxy Voting Guidelines ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs)
The rapid and significant decline in stock trading prices of many public companies due to the effects of the evolving coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic has created the risk of activists or hostile acquirers rapidly building...more
As health organizations and governments around the world work to contain the coronavirus (COVID-19), businesses should be mindful of the various ways the virus may impact their operations and employees. The wide range of...more
3/5/2020
/ Acquisitions ,
Anti-Discrimination Policies ,
Business Interruption ,
Capital Markets ,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Commercial Contracts ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Restructuring ,
Cybersecurity ,
Derivatives ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Employment Policies ,
Equity Securities ,
Force Majeure Clause ,
Global Economy ,
Leveraged Finance ,
Life Sciences ,
Mergers ,
OSHA ,
Popular ,
Public Health ,
Public Safety ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Litigation ,
Supply Chain ,
Virtual Meetings
Companies have important decisions to make as they prepare for the 2020 annual meeting and reporting season. We have prepared a checklist of key corporate governance, executive compensation and disclosure matters on which we...more
12/3/2019
/ Annual Meeting ,
Annual Reports ,
Audits ,
Board of Directors ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Director Compensation ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Diversity ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Filing Requirements ,
Glass Lewis ,
Hedging ,
Insider Trading ,
Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) ,
Pay Ratio ,
Proxy Advisory Firms ,
Proxy Voting Guidelines ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Say-on-Pay ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Shareholder Proposals
On November 5, 2019, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), by 3-2 votes, issued two releases proposing a number of amendments to the federal proxy rules. The first release proposed changes to certain procedural...more
11/8/2019
/ Anti-Fraud Provisions ,
Comment Period ,
Corporate Governance ,
Proposed Amendments ,
Proxy Season ,
Proxy Solicitations ,
Proxy Voting Guidelines ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Rule 14a-8 ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Shareholder Proposals ,
Threshold Requirements
Shareholder activism remains pervasive in the corporate landscape, as many companies continue to face new, and sometimes more sophisticated, activist situations. Recent activism-related trends indicate that the landscape is...more
9/27/2019
/ Acquisitions ,
Board of Directors ,
Corporate Governance ,
Institutional Investors ,
Mergers ,
Private Equity ,
Proxy Contests ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Shareholder Activism ,
Shareholder Proposals ,
Shareholders
On August 21, 2019, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), by a 3-2 vote, issued two separate releases providing interpretive guidance relating to the proxy voting process. One release addresses the proxy voting...more
8/27/2019
/ Anti-Fraud Provisions ,
Corporate Governance ,
Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) ,
Interpretive Rule ,
Investment Adviser ,
Investment Management ,
Proxy Advisory Firms ,
Proxy Season ,
Proxy Voting ,
Proxy Voting Guidelines ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
In 2018, robust U.S. and global M&A activity substantially mitigated the downside risk for activist investors. With political uncertainty ahead of the 2020 presidential election, unsettled questions on trade and tariffs, and...more
4/23/2019
/ Acquisitions ,
Activist Investors ,
Board of Directors ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Index Funds ,
Mergers ,
Popular ,
Private Equity ,
Proxy Season ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Shareholder Activism
On October 23, 2018, the Division of Corporation Finance (Staff) of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) published Staff Legal Bulletin No. 14J (SLB 14J), which provides important guidance concerning shareholder...more
10/25/2018
/ Board of Directors ,
Corporate Governance ,
Executive Compensation ,
Micromanagement ,
New Guidance ,
No-Action Relief ,
Ordinary Business Exception ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Shareholder Proposals ,
Shareholders
Companies have important decisions to make as they prepare for their 2018 annual meeting and reporting season. We have prepared a checklist of key corporate governance, executive compensation and disclosure matters on which...more
12/4/2017
/ Annual Meeting ,
Auditors ,
Corporate Governance ,
Cybersecurity ,
D&O Insurance ,
Dodd-Frank ,
Executive Compensation ,
Filing Requirements ,
Pay Ratio ,
Proxy Access ,
Proxy Voting Guidelines ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Say-on-Pay ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
XBRL Filing Requirements
The Division of Corporation Finance (Staff) of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) recently published Staff Legal Bulletin No. 14I (SLB 14I), which provides important new and timely guidance for companies and...more