Abercrombie & Fitch ($ANF) see-sawed its own stock after proclaiming that it would seek a buyer (stock went up) but then, a mere few weeks later, indicating that it had terminated the sell-side process. The shares plummeted 21%.
Halcon Resources Corp ($HK) plans, per Reuters, to sell its North Dakota operations for $1.4b in cash as part of a broader (and smart) plan to shift its focus to the lower cost-basis Texas' Permian Basin. The stock popped on the news. The piece makes it sound like this is the CEO's grand vision - as if he's not getting a tremendous amount of pressure from his new(ish) credit-oriented short-term-oriented overlords.
Hedge Funds. Apparently the business isn't as bad as previously thought. That is, unless these investments in Puerto Rico bonds crater.
India (Geographical arbitrage). Hey you. Yeah, you, Associate sitting in New York with a 15 year path to partnership. You may want to consider moving to India and becoming an expert in the new Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code there. Apparently nobody there has a clue what the hell is going on. You may be able to fast-track your career. We want credit if you pull the trigger.
Professional Athletes (Short Personal Finance Wherewithal). Livan Hernandez, who made $53mm over the course of his baseball career, has filed for bankruptcy. Seriously, what the hell is wrong with these guys?
Sears Canada. C'mon. Eddie Lampert, the King of Bad-Money-After-Good (aka all things Sears ($SHLD)), is reportedly considering a deal for Sears Canada. Officially, the company has hired a joint venture between Gordon Brothers Canada ULC and Merchant Retail Solutions ULC for the liquidation of inventory/FF&E of 45 locations and is actively pursuing a transaction: over 20 parties have signed NDAs.
Tea (Short Retailing it). Small potatoes relative to the universe we typically cover but given that Capital Teas Inc. was once a 22-store retailer of, well, tea, and is now bankrupt, we figured we'd note it. We particularly love how the company didn't even bother to update its "bio," of sorts, noting that it was honored as a member of The Inc. 5000, "the nation's fastest growing private companies." Well, not anymore, obvi. The company plans to shutter 10 locations as part of the bankruptcy. If that is considered "fastest growing," the US is even more effed than we thought.
True Value. This is not a distressed candidate - not with $1.51b of revenue in '16 - but the fact that the private company is reportedly looking to market itself is telling in this age of Amazon. The home improvement space is largely thought to be impervious to the "Amazon Effect." At least, that is the narrative behind investing inHome Depot ($HD) and Lowe's Companies Inc. ($LOW). Perhaps people are worried about the narrative? Perhaps they're just looking to take advantage of a potential strategic acquirer tapping capital markets? Interesting.
WeWork. We admit: we're obsessed with this company. On the heals of closing its $760mm Series G round valuing the company at $20b, this startup now officially has a larger valuation than publicly-traded office REITS like Vornado Realty (which we covered here) and Boston Properties. Makes. Total. Sense. Jokes aside, it has inserted itself as a platform for companies like GM, IBM, Spotify and Salesforce, effectively being the office manager of choice. Interesting model. Can't imagine this remaining in a downturn when companies need to look for ways to cut costs.
