qwant news | Universal Music Group to Sell Half of Its Spotify Stake, Increase Share Buybacks

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Universal Music Group announced it will monetize half of its €2.7 billion Spotify stake to fund an expanded share‑repurchase program, authorising a total buyback of €1 billion—including an immediate €500 million buyback after a €500 million program already in progress—while using the repurchased shares for its global equity plan and to reduce share capital. The move follows Bill Ackman’s Pershing Square $64.4 billion takeover proposal, which targets UMG’s “languished” stock price and would merge the companies on the NYSE with a €9.4 billion cash payout and new UMG shares at a 78 % premium. In its first‑quarter earnings, UMG reported €2.9 billion in revenue, up 8.1 % on a constant‑currency basis, driven by streaming growth (10.9 % to €1.64 billion), physical sales (12.7 % to €310 million), and strong performance from artists such as BTS, Olivia Dean, Taylor Swift, the K‑Pop Demon Hunters soundtrack, and Morgan Wallen.

Read more: https://www.thewrap.com/industry-news/business/universal-music-group-spotify-stake-share-buybacks/

#UniversalMusic #Spotify #BillAckman #PershingSquare #NYSE #OliviaDean #TaylorSwift #MorganWallen

qwant news | Bill Ackman's $5 billion Pershing Square IPO to start trading, testing Berkshire-style vision

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Bill Ackman’s Pershing Square USA (ticker PSUS) debuted on the NYSE at $42, well below its $50 IPO price, and was trading around $40.90, an 18% decline, while the related asset‑manager stock Pershing Square Inc. (PS) opened at $24 and hovered near $23.50. The $5 billion offering created two separately traded entities—a closed‑end fund (PSUS) and the management company (PS)—designed to attract both institutional and retail investors and to omit performance fees. Investors in PSUS also received bonus shares of PS, linking the two vehicles. Ackman positioned the structure as a step toward a Berkshire‑Hathaway‑style permanent‑capital platform, emphasizing Pershing Square’s 2,600% cumulative net return since 2004, its macro‑hedging record (including a 93‑fold COVID‑era credit‑protection trade), and plans for Berkshire‑inspired shareholder practices such as annual meetings and investor days.

Read more: https://www.cnbc.com/2026/04/29/bill-ackmans-5-billion-pershing-square-ipo-to-start-trading-testing-berkshire-style-vision.html

#BillAckman #PershingSquare #BerkshireHathaway #WarrenBuffett #Amazon #Uber #Brookfield

yahoo news | Billionaire Bill Ackman Has 39% of His Hedge Fund's $17.7 Billion Stock...

Bill Ackman’s Pershing Square fund now holds just 13 stocks, but almost two‑thirds of its $17.7 billion equity portfolio is concentrated in three “stellar” names. Roughly 39 % of the fund’s assets are split among Brookfield (about 14.5 % of assets), Uber (≈12.3 %) and Alphabet (≈12.2 %). Ackman’s strategy of a highly focused portfolio lets investors see his biggest bets through the fund’s public filings and consider copying those ideas without investing directly with him.

Brookfield (NYSE: BN) is being built as an investment‑led insurance company that, like Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway, aims to grow insurance float and redeploy it into equity investments. With $120 billion in invested assets at the end of 2025 and a target of $600 billion, the firm also holds a large stake in Brookfield Asset Management, which is expected to generate billions of dollars in carried‑interest earnings over the next decade. Ackman expects about 25 % earnings growth this year, and at under 17 times last year’s distributable earnings the stock appears markedly undervalued.

Uber (NYSE: UBER) is valued for its massive rider network and its push into autonomous‑vehicle partnerships, notably with Waymo and Motional. The company posted 18 % user growth, a 35 % rise in earnings per share and accelerating free‑cash‑flow generation, trading at less than 22 times forward earnings. Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOG/GOOGL) is the other AI‑centric holding, benefitting from integrated generative‑AI features in Google Search, rapid growth in Google Cloud powered by its Gemini 3 model and custom TPUs, and expanding AI partnerships such as with Apple’s Siri. With a forward‑earnings multiple around 28 times, the stock may still be underpriced given its AI‑driven revenue and margin upside.

Read more: https://finance.yahoo.com/markets/stocks/articles/billionaire-bill-ackman-39-hedge-005000635.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall

#billackman #pershingsquare #Brookfield #uber #alphabet

yahoo news | From Pershing Square’s $64 billion bid for UMG to Wireless Festival’s Kanye West...

Bill Ackman’s Pershing Square submitted a non‑binding, cash‑and‑shares proposal to acquire Universal Music Group for roughly $64 billion. Ackman told investors he expects “overwhelming shareholder support” and cited an encouraging response from Bolloré, UMG’s largest shareholder. However, JP Morgan analysts expressed doubt that Bolloré would back the deal, arguing the proposal offers nothing UMG cannot achieve on its own.

In parallel, AI‑music platform Udio announced a licensing agreement with independent publisher Kobalt, its fourth major deal since settling a copyright lawsuit with UMG in October 2025. The agreement will allow Udio’s subscription service to train on Kobalt’s catalog while ensuring creators are credited and compensated. Around the same time, independent distributor Secretly Distribution acquired Babel Ops, the tech firm behind the Entertainment Intelligence analytics platform, underscoring a trend of consolidation among music‑service providers. Additionally, Universal Music Group and Believe resolved a lawsuit alleging “industrial‑scale” copyright infringement by Believe’s TuneCore platform, dismissing all claims with prejudice.

London’s Wireless Festival was cancelled after the UK government denied headliner Ye (Kanye West) entry, deeming his presence not conducive to the public good. The decision followed political condemnation of West’s booking and the withdrawal of key sponsors such as Pepsi, Diageo and Rockstar Energy, prompting promoter Festival Republic to issue refunds to ticket holders.

Read more: https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/from-pershing-squares-64-billion-bid-for-umg-to-wireless-festivals-kanye-west-cancellation-its-mbws-weekly-round-up/

#pershingsquare #umg #kanyewest #udio #kobalt

yahoo news | UMG will review Pershing Square bid but backs management team

Pershing Square has lodged an unsolicited, non‑binding €55 billion ($63.5 bn) proposal to acquire Universal Music Group (UMG). In its brief response, UMG confirmed receipt of the offer and said the board would review it “in accordance with its fiduciary duties” and assess the impact on shareholders, employees, artists, songwriters and other stakeholders. The company also reiterated its confidence in its current strategy and leadership under Sir Lucian Grainge, stating it would not comment further until the review is complete.

The hedge‑fund’s proposal includes appointing veteran entertainment executive Michael Ovitz to UMG’s board and negotiating a new employment contract and compensation package for Grainge. In an investor call, Pershing Square founder Bill Ackman emphasized that the deal’s fate hinges on the support of UMG’s largest shareholder, the Bolloré Group, and on board approval. He noted that the approach was not a surprise, having been hinted at during a dinner with Grainge and Ovitz, but that details remain limited.

Analysts at CMU suggest the cash component of the bid would mainly be financed by selling Universal’s stake in Spotify and by loading roughly €5.4 billion of new debt onto the company. The proposal, therefore, relies heavily on leveraging UMG’s existing assets to fund the transaction, raising questions about the long‑term financial implications for the label and its diverse group of stakeholders.

Read more: https://musically.com/2026/04/08/umg-will-review-pershing-square-bid-but-backs-management-team/

#umg #pershingsquare #universalmusicgroup #billackman #bollorégroup

bing news | Bill Ackman thinks he’ll convince UMG shareholders to take his deal. JP Morgan isn’t so sure.

Bill Ackman’s Pershing Square has lodged an unsolicited, non‑binding cash‑and‑shares proposal to buy Universal Music Group (UMG) at a valuation of roughly $64 billion. The offer would give UMG shareholders €9.4 billion in cash plus 0.77 shares of a newly created “New UMG” for each share they hold. Pershing Square would fund about a quarter of the cash itself, while the balance would come from new investment‑grade debt and the sale of UMG’s €2.7 billion stake in Spotify. Ackman says the deal would also free up up to €750 million for UMG’s artists from the Spotify sale and could pave the way for a NYSE listing via Pershing Square’s SPARC vehicle.

The proposal hinges on the backing of Bolloré Group, which currently owns a 28 % stake in UMG, and the approval of UMG’s board led by Sir Lucian Grainge. While Ackman asserts “overwhelming shareholder support” and reports an encouraging response from Bolloré, JP Morgan analyst Daniel Kerven warned that Bolloré may not back the plan, noting there is nothing in Pershing’s offer that UMG could not achieve on its own with major shareholder support. Other analysts echoed the uncertainty: ING said the proposal raises “many valid points” but might fail, and Deutsche Bank called it “opportunistic and timely” but offered no prediction. Tencent, which holds about 20 % of UMG through a consortium, appears indifferent and was reportedly “out of the loop” before the announcement.

If the deal proceeds, Pershing Square would contribute €2.5 billion in cash, while €5.4 billion would be raised through debt and €1.5 billion would come from selling the Spotify stake. The financing structure means Pershing Square is putting up roughly a quarter of the cash, with the remainder financed externally and by liquidating an existing UMG asset. The transaction could open a window for other private‑equity firms—such as Blackstone and Apollo—to pursue UMG, which recently launched a €500 million share‑repurchase program citing a “meaningful dislocation” in its market valuation. UMG’s board has said it will review the proposal in line with its fiduciary duties but will not comment further until that review is complete.

Read more: https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/bill-ackman-thinks-hell-convince-umg-shareholders-to-take-his-deal-jp-morgan-isnt-so-sure/

#billackman #umg #pershingsquare #universalmusicgroup #bollorégroup

Corriere.it - Homepage: Il finanziere Bill Ackman vuole Universal Music: offerta da 55 miliardi per la major di Taylor Swift

Il capo dell’hedge fund Pershing Square propone agli azionisti di Universal la fusione con la sua spac per spostare la quotazione del gruppo da Amsterdam agli Stati Uniti. Il nodo Bolloré

The financier Bill Ackman wants Universal Music: $55 billion offer for the Taylor Swift major.

Pershing Square’s fund manager is proposing a merger with Universal’s SPAC to move the group’s listing from Amsterdam to the United States. The Bolloré issue.

#BillAckman #UniversalMusic #TaylorSwift #PershingSquare’s #Universal #Amsterdam #theUnitedStates #Bolloré

https://www.corriere.it/economia/finanza/26_aprile_07/il-finanziere-bill-ackman-vuole-universal-music-offerta-da-55-miliardi-per-la-major-di-taylor-swift-220b4839-3cfe-4ca4-96eb-7fb30c39exlk.shtml

"Les valeurs de défense sont plus que jamais à considérer dans les allocations" (Aymeric Diday)

https://vid.freedif.org/w/ujX9aRU736g3hGyPKqkMoG

Agi: Pershing Square offre 9,4 miliardi per acquistare la Universal Music

AGI- Il fondo speculativo americano Pershing Square ha annunciato di aver presentato un'offerta per l'acquisizione di Universal Music Group tramite fusione. La società guidata da Bill Ackman ritiene che il colosso musicale sia sottovalutato dai mercati azionari.
Pershing Square ha dichiarato che l'offerta agli azionisti di Universal include 9,4 miliardi di euro (10,9 miliardi di dollari) in contanti più azioni della nuova entità, che vanterebbe un catalogo di artisti di punta come Taylor Swift e Lady Gaga.

Pershing Square offers $9.4 billion to acquire Universal Music

AGI – The American speculative fund Pershing Square has announced that it has submitted an offer to acquire Universal Music Group through a merger. The Bill Ackman-led company believes that the music giant is undervalued by stock markets.

Pershing Square stated that the offer to Universal shareholders includes €9.4 billion (US$10.9 billion) in cash plus shares in the new entity, which would boast a catalog of top artists such as Taylor Swift and Lady Gaga.

#PershingSquare #UniversalMusicAGI #American #UniversalMusicGroup #BillAckman- #Universal #TaylorSwift #LadyGaga

https://www.agi.it/economia/news/2026-04-07/pershing-square-offre-9-4-mld-per-acquistare-universal-music-36469327/

Bill Ackman’s Pershing Square Capital Unveils Takeover Bid for Universal Music Group

https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://variety.com/2026/music/news/bill-ackman-pershing-square-universal-music-takeover-bid-1236710125/