Carl Icahn and Bill Ackman : The Bermuda Triangle of Valuation & the big picture

Updated on

Published on Sep 9, 2015
Today’s class started with a test on whether you can detect the direction bias will take, based on who or why a valuation is done. The solutions are posted online. We then moved on to talk about the three basic approaches to valuation: discounted cash flow valuation, where you estimate the intrinsic value of an asset, relative valuation, where you value an asset based on the pricing of similar assets and option pricing valuation, where you apply option pricing to value businesses. With each approach, we talked about the types of assets that are best priced with that approach and what you need to bring as an analyst/investor to the table. For instance, in our discussion of DCF valuation and how to make it work for you, I suggested that there were two requirements: a long time horizon and the capacity to act as the catalyst for market correction. Since I mentioned Carl Icahn and Bill Ackman as hostile acquirers (catalysts), you may want to look at Herbalife, the company that Ackman has targeted as being over valued and Icahn did for being under valued. See if you can get a list going of how he is trying to be the catalyst for the correction… and think about the dark side of this process. We then started our discussion of intrinsic valuation, with a simple experiment on valuation, which led to three propositions about valuation. In the course of that discussion, I mentioned the weapons of mass distraction that people throw at us, as work through the numbers.

Get The Full Series in PDF

Get the entire 10-part series on Charlie Munger in PDF. Save it to your desktop, read it on your tablet, or email to your colleagues.

Start of the class test: http://www.stern.nyu.edu/~adamodar/pd...
Slides for the class: http://www.stern.nyu.edu/~adamodar/po...
Post class test: http://www.stern.nyu.edu/~adamodar/pd...
Post class test solution: http://www.stern.nyu.edu/~adamodar/pd...

Leave a Comment