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SAN FRANCISCO -- A key investor in Sybase(SY Quote - Cramer on SY - Stock Picks) is moving to put its own slate on the board of directors in an attempt to boost the company's share price.
Hedge fund Sandell Asset Management notified the company Friday it will name three independent nominees for director at the next annual meeting, which has not been scheduled. With 5.4 million shares, or 6% of Sybase, Sandell was the second-largest investor at the end of September, behind Lord, Abbett, which owned 8 million shares, according to Thomson Financial. In October, the hedge fund's CEO, Thomas Sandell, urged Sybase in a letter to boost its share buyback program, sell off its mobile software, or put the whole company in play. "Since that time, the company has taken no discernable action on any of these initiatives, nor has it taken any of its own actions to improve value," said the hedge fund's statement on Friday. "We feel that shareholder representation on the board is warranted to ensure ... a course of action is taken to close the gap between the current share price and its inherent value," Thomas Sandell said in the statement. The stock was recently up a penny, at $25.89 Friday and is trading at 14 times 2008 earnings. Despite a 36% earnings growth for the most recent quarter, the stock has seen little appreciation over the past year. A year ago, its closing price was $24.90. Shares closed at $24.46 on Oct. 11, the day before Sandell sent his letter to Sybase.
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