Bare Escentuals Could Start Feeling The Heat
Bare Escentuals, Inc. (NASD:
BARE) management could experience a bit of a shake-up after Sandler Capital Management
took a 5% stake in the company and demanded changes in a
Schedule
13D filing with the SEC. In a letter, the activist hedge fund outlined several
changes that it would like to see made, including a share buyback and an exploration
of strategic alternatives.
Here is a complete copy of the letter:
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Today, Sandler Capital Management and related persons (“Sandler Capital” or “we”)
will file a Schedule 13D with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission
indicating that we beneficially own in the aggregate over 5% of the outstanding common
stock of Bare Escentuals, Inc. (the “Company”). Sandler Capital, a Registered Investment
Advisor since 1988, is an alternative asset management firm managing both hedge funds
and private equity funds. Sandler Capital currently manages approximately $850
million in assets including approximately $500 million within our hedge fund portfolios.
We are writing to you to express our concern regarding what we believe to be a great
disconnect between the value of the Company and its brand, on the one hand, and the
price at which the Company’s Common Stock currently trades, on the other hand. Since
the Company’s initial public offering on September 28, 2006 at a price of $22.00 per
share, the market price of the Company’s Common Stock has fallen approximately 60%.(1)
During the same period, the S&P 500 Index was down approximately 25% and the Russell
2000 Index was down approximately 20%. During the same period, the stock price of
two of the Company’s peers, L’Oreal SA (“L’Oreal”) and The Estée Lauder Companies
Inc. (“Estée Lauder”), fell approximately 26% and 10%, respectively. The Company’s
underperformance relative to the overall market and to its peers is similar on a trailing
two year basis. In addition, based on analysts’ current consensus earnings estimates
for both calendar years 2009 and 2010, the Company is currently trading at substantial
discount to Estée Lauder and L’Oreal. Compared to Estée Lauder, the Common Stock
is trading at nearly a 60% discount on 2009 estimates and close to a 50% discount
on 2010 estimates. Compared to L’Oreal, the Common Stock is trading at over a 40%
discount to both 2009 and 2010 estimates.
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