Pass on these three activist targets

Article Excerpt

The shares of these three firms (including Etsy, see box) are down sharply in the past few years. That has attracted the attention of activist investors who see a way to turn these stocks around. While their plans have merit, it could take years for them to recover. WOLFSPEED INC. $24 is a hold. The company (Nasdaq symbol WOLF; Manufacturing sector; Shares outstanding: 125.9 million; Market cap: $3.0 billion; No dividend paid; Takeover Target Rating: Medium; www.wolfspeed.com) makes specialized silicon carbide materials and chips that improve the power efficiency for a wide variety of electric-powered devices. Despite Wolfspeed’s dominant share of this niche market, the stock is down roughly 60% in the past five years. As a result, activist investment firm Jana Partners, which owns 3.6% of Wolfspeed, sent a letter to the company’s board of directors. Jana wants the company to re-consider a plan to build a new plant in Germany in light of its problems and delays building two new plants in the U.S. The activist…