Wednesday, August 08, 2007
Brink's Company (NYSE:BCO) board member and activist investor Thomas Hudson of Pirate Capital demanded in a letter that the security services provider consider a tax-free split-up of the company. The news comes after Pirate Capital's long-publicized battle with the company to unlock shareholder value. Many are hoping that the large support for a break-up may finally do just that!

A survey of shareholders, conducted by D.F. King & Co., polled 90.17% of the outstanding Brink's shareholders and found that 49.4% of them wanted the company to pursue a split-up while 66.95% said that they would like the board to review the possibility of a split-up. Hudson was quick to point out that if management did not consider the possibility of a split-up by the next election, shareholders could put them out of a job.

"While a sale of the company, as opposed to a tax-free split-up, could be more lucrative to you under your change of control agreement with Brink's, potentially enriching you with millions of dollars, I believe the survey is conclusive as to the large shareholder preference for a split-up," Hudson said in the letter.

Hudson's Pirate Capital currently holds an 8.6% stake in the company and would stand to gain substantially from any measures intended on unlocking shareholder value. This makes BCO a stock worth watching!

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