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from Outstanding Investor Digest's December 31, 1999 edition
LONGLEAF PARTNERS FUNDS'
MASON HAWKINS, C.T. FITZPATRICK & STALEY CATES
(continued from preceding
page)
While we wait, our values per share are building
.
Fitzpatrick: A number of the companies that we own are selling off
assets and using the proceeds to buy in their own shares. For example, Host Marriott just announced
that it's selling the Boston Ritz Carlton at a price well in excess of our appraisal for the asset
and is using the proceeds to repurchase its own stock.
Prime Group in Chicago, which is a company that we've highlighted in the
past, is selling its largest asset at $300 per square foot. At the same time, the company sells in
the stock market at less than $100 per square foot. And all of its leases are below market and have
escalators.
There could be an external event - like people just waking up and realizing
the values are a joke. But you also could have internal events. And we're seeing that
in the
case of the companies that I mentioned
- and there are others. I should have also mentioned
Newhall Land.
Newhall Land announced recently that they were accelerating their asset disposition
program with the goal of buying in 20% of their stock over the next 12 months. And they have bought
roughly 20% of their stock in over the last two years.
So the companies themselves are taking steps. And ultimately, when it's
realized, there'll be
a lower denominator and we'll also have a healthy numerator. So while we
wait, our values per share are building.
Besides share buybacks, there's LBOs and M&A.
Fitzpatrick: The other thing that could happen, and we're seeing
some evidence of this as I mentioned, are buyout funds moving into the area - because you can pay
prices well in excess of the current stock market prices for these companies and still derive very
healthy returns to equity holders. The prices are just a joke. And it's only a matter of time
before something happens either internally or externally to move price to value. Basically, nature
abhors a vacuum. And that's what we have here - a vacuum.
Hawkins: Just to summarize C.T.'s comments, we've never seen share
repurchasing pursued as aggressively by companies in the realty world as we're seeing today.
Secondly, we're seeing a number of buyout funds being put together to take these companies private
because the private values are obviously so much higher than the public values that are being
ascribed to these companies in the equity market.
Thirdly, we're seeing a huge acceleration in merger and acquisition activity
in the real estate world. There's great consolidation going on at very, very high prices that makes
our appraisals seem conservative.
FDX'S PRICE IS DISCOUNTED AND ITS CASE IS INTACT.
THAT'S WHY THEY'RE GOING TO SHRINK THE SHARES.
When internet hype got overdone, we trimmed our FDX.
Shareholder: In past conference calls, you've talked about the
strength of a couple of your top holdings like Federal Express
and Marriott. Could you speak to
why they've struggled and your thoughts [about their prospects] moving forward?
Page 11 of 12
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