ValueAct Capital
| Privately owned | |
| Founded | San Francisco, California, United States (2000) |
| Founder | Jeffrey Ubben |
| Headquarters | San Francisco, California |
Key people |
Kelly Barlow, Greg Spivy, Brandon Boze |
| Total equity | US$ 11 billion (2013) [1] |
| Subsidiaries | Value Act Capital LLC, ValueAct Capital Master Fund LP, ValueActCapital Partners LP |
| Website |
ValueAct |
ValueAct Capital is a San Francisco based investment company that manages more than $11 billion on behalf of several institutional and individual investors. The company is a privately owned head fund sponsor that provides its services to high net worth individuals and institutions. It invests in both the public equity and hedging markets.
Background
ValueAct Capital was initially formed in June 2000 to manage the capital of its founders, along with the capital of a limited number of outside investors.
Investor Actions
ValueAct Capital is a very active investor that identifies companies that appear to be out of favor, or may be undergoing a significant transition. ValueAct makes a significant investment into the company and then works with the company to make changes with goal of increasing long-term stock value and thus creating a profit for ValueAct.
Microsoft (2013)
In May of 2013 ValueAct Capital revealed that it had purchased $2 billion worth of Microsoft stock (less than 1%). Shortly there after the company made public announcements that it sought to join the board of Microsoft if the company did not increase its stock price through a stock buy back program or a larger dividend. The threat was seen as one of the reasons that Steve Ballmer decided to leave Microsoft.[2]