Hedge fund manager David Einhorn remains long on Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), even after he sued the company for its capital management structure earlier this year. Today he said on CNBC‘s “Fast Money Halftime Report” that although the company has gotten better at managing its capital, more should be done.
After Einhorn’s lawsuit earlier this year, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) went on to announce one of the largest share repurchase plans in history. According to Einhorn, this gives Apple’s capital management a bump up in grade—from a “D- to a C or something like that”—but he thinks the company should be doing more to unlock additional value. Einhorn did say, however, that he doesn’t think it is bad enough that he wants to complain about what Apple is doing.
Does Einhorn support Carl Icahn?
Carl Icahn is the latest investor to try to push Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) into returning even more capital to shareholders. He wants to see the company buy back $150 billion worth of shares as soon as possible and has suggested that he is making progress with management. However, he stepped back from previous indications that he might start a proxy battle with the company’s board, instead more recently that he doesn’t want to fight with Apple.
David Einhorn’s push came months before this push from Icahn, and Einhorn declined to say whether he would support Icahn in a proxy battle over Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s capital management plan. He said Icahn’s view isn’t “particularly important” to him because he doesn’t “really know what he’s thinking” and he has formed his own view about Apple. Einhorn also declined to give an opinion on whether Icahn would be able to win a proxy battle over his proposal.
Einhorn may be best known for his money-making short positions. Right now he is short on Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Inc. (NASDAQ:GMCR)
