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Fairholme and Sears Update

edited November 2014 in Fund Discussions
Oct 31, 2014 BERKOWITZ BRUCE R
Beneficial Owner (10% or more)
104,800 Indirect Purchase at $35.34 per share. 3,703,632
Oct 30, 2014 BERKOWITZ BRUCE R
Beneficial Owner (10% or more)
212,200 Indirect Purchase at $37 per share. 7,851,400
Oct 29, 2014 BERKOWITZ BRUCE R
Beneficial Owner (10% or more)
59,800 Indirect Sale at $36.54 - $36.61 per share. 2,187,0002
Oct 29, 2014 BERKOWITZ BRUCE R
Beneficial Owner (10% or more)
161,900 Indirect Purchase at $37.04 per share. 5,996,776
Oct 28, 2014 BERKOWITZ BRUCE R
Beneficial Owner (10% or more)
100,000 Indirect Purchase at $37.78 per share. 3,778,000
Oct 27, 2014 BERKOWITZ BRUCE R
Beneficial Owner (10% or more)
69,700 Indirect Purchase at $38.66 per share. 2,694,602
Oct 23, 2014 BERKOWITZ BRUCE R
Beneficial Owner (10% or more)
111,100 Indirect Purchase at $35.37 - $36 per share. 3,965,0002
Oct 22, 2014 BERKOWITZ BRUCE R
Beneficial Owner (10% or more)
21,600 Indirect Purchase at $34.74 per share. 750,384
Oct 21, 2014 BERKOWITZ BRUCE R
Beneficial Owner (10% or more)
126,400 Indirect Purchase at $34.81 per share. 4,399,984
Oct 20, 2014 BERKOWITZ BRUCE R
Beneficial Owner (10% or more)
144,500 Indirect Purchase at $32.29 - $34.92 per share. 4,856,0002
«13

Comments

  • Sears is like Thanksgiving Turkey "its Cooked" first Kmart then Sears
  • Bruce Berkowitz is married to this stock, something that was taught to us not to do. For the shareholders of FAIRX , it might feel like a shotgun marriage.
  • Do you know why the sale?

    59,800 Indirect Sale at $36.54 - $36.61 per share. 2,187,0002
  • Charles said:

    Do you know why the sale?

    59,800 Indirect Sale at $36.54 - $36.61 per share. 2,187,0002

    Dunno. He sold and bought about a month and a half ago, as well.

    Oct 13, 2014 BERKOWITZ BRUCE R
    Beneficial Owner (10% or more)
    50,000 Indirect Purchase at $25.29 - $25.31 per share. 1,265,0002
    Oct 10, 2014 BERKOWITZ BRUCE R
    Beneficial Owner (10% or more)
    5,900 Indirect Sale at $25.31 per share. 149,329
    Oct 6, 2014 BERKOWITZ BRUCE R
    Beneficial Owner (10% or more)
    7,700 Indirect Purchase at $29.11 per share. 224,147
    Oct 2, 2014 BERKOWITZ BRUCE R
    Beneficial Owner (10% or more)
    49,200 Indirect Purchase at $26.37 per share. 1,297,404
    Sep 25, 2014 BERKOWITZ BRUCE R
    Beneficial Owner (10% or more)
    15,900 Indirect Sale at $26.05 per share. 414,195
    Sep 24, 2014 BERKOWITZ BRUCE R
    Beneficial Owner (10% or more)
    10,500 Indirect Sale at $26.40 per share.
  • I wonder if that helps somehow against front-running?
  • Charles said:

    I wonder if that helps somehow against front-running?

    I don't know, but this really does shape up as an interesting battle with Berkowitz and Lampert (and some other noteworthy odds and ends, although no one to near the degree that Berkowitz has) on one side and 17M shares short on the other. I hate what Lampert has done (which I've said a million times), but I guess my question becomes how has the long thesis (which has been spelled out again and again - real estate value, etc) failed to sell to the masses to the degree that there's 65% of the float short?


  • Has there been anything new with Fannie/Freddie since that tanked a month or so ago?

    As for Sears, I hate (or don't understand), the real estate thesis. To me, real estate (especially near malls) is becoming less valuable.
  • beebee
    edited November 2014
    From linked article:

    "The rub with Sears remains that the retail operations are difficult for the average investor to separate from the valuation of the assets that go far beyond the real estate holdings. Investor after investor proclaims the company worthless due to a lack of profits from the retail operation, but the company has a vast array of assets worth billions upon billions that are hidden."
    and,
    "Simon Property owns or has an interest in 324 retail properties comprising 241 million square feet. The stock is valued at an incredible $46 billion, further providing reason why Bruce Berkowitz and the Fairholme Fund invested so heavily in Sears. Note that Sears has roughly 250 million square feet of real estate. In addition, Simon Property has over $22 billion in debt while Sears has the real estate assets virtually unencumbered."
    finally,
    "Lampert never had a sole focus to turn around the stores; instead he hoped to develop an online presence, which now ranks only behind Amazon.com and Wal-Mart, while limiting the capital improvements on stores since the plan was to sublease and redevelop the assets anyway."


    Sears Holdings' Incredible Hidden Value

    If you read this article, here's Seritage's website:
    seritage.com/portfolios.aspx
  • edited November 2014
    My question then is, if this property is such a goldmine worth billions and billions, why are there no other interest besides Berkowitz?
  • edited November 2014
    The friend stops and says, "Look, there is a $20 bill on the ground!"

    The economist turns and coolly replies, "Can't be. If there was a $20 bill on the ground, somebody would have already picked it up."

    From...The Twenty Dollar Bill.
  • Thanks for that early morning chuckle @Charles.
  • Ha! Well, I'm heavy FAAFX...so, if I don't laugh, I'll start crying.
  • I see that M* has FAAFX identified as a mid cap value fund. Another M* blunder.
  • edited November 2014

    My question then is, if this property is such a goldmine worth billions and billions, why is there no other interest besides Berkowitz?

    That's my question as well. The other thought that I've had - especially at this point - is that why not just take the thing private and be done with it if it's so valuable? You'd have a serious short squeeze and possibly have more time to do whatever it is Lampert wants to do with Sears outside the eye of the public markets.

    There is interest - the Chou Funds, Kinetics funds, a few hedge funds - but nothing as sizable as the investment from Berkowitz. Additionally, I believe the common element of the noteworthy investors is that they've ridden it down from higher or much higher levels.

    I get that Sears has a great deal of square footage, but I guess it comes down to 1:) how much desire is there for that much retail space? 2:) Is that retail space comparable in any way to the quality of Simon Property's retail space? My guess is that the answers are "not enough" and (at least on average, as I think there's going to be a lot of K-Marts in the middle of nowhere that have zero interest and maybe some of the worst Sears locations, too) "no".

    As for my thoughts on zero interest in the worst Sears and K-Mart locations, examples of abandoned or deserted Sears stores:

    http://www.businessinsider.com/photos-of-deserted-sears-stores-2014-10?op=1

    Can the space be re-developed as something non-retail? I'd guess in the case of freestanding locations yes, malls probably not.
  • Most of the mall-based Sears stores I know of are either at one end of the mall or are detached from the main mall itself. I wouldn't call that a prime location IMO. Maybe that is one reason investors balk?
  • What about Sales/profits? A reason to "balk"?..... just thinking
  • Tampabay said:

    What about Sales/profits?

    You mean the enormous losses from wrecking the core business by doing just the bare minimum so that the stores on said "valuable" real estate don't fall apart completely?
  • @tampabay, They had to borrow money to purchase stock for Christmas. They are at the edge of the abyss and have been there for some time.
  • edited November 2014
    Sears considering forming REIT to help liquidity:

    http://online.wsj.com/articles/sears-considering-forming-reit-to-boost-liquidity-1415362718

    Same store sales down again but not quite as bad as expected. Says looking to push towards a smaller, "asset light, member-centric" company. Sees 3Q EBITDA neg $275-325M. Sears will continue operating in the stores in the spin-off. Sears up around 17.5% pre-market.

    8:00 EST - Looking at the main behind the curtain at Sears (SHLD) and Belus Capital says, "It's apparent the operations remain in shambles and the need to raise cash to survive 2015 (with an intact share price) is a pressing matter." That as the company's 3Q net loss will be some $600M, versus $497M a year earlier, despite flat same-store sales. "This, in our opinion, reflects Sears' obsession with adhering to a 'membership' model where margin is given away but no annual dues are collected" like the wholesale-club operators. "
  • Its back SHLD up 26%
  • beebee
    edited November 2014
    After reading a few of Lamberts shareholder letters and his desire to focus on more of an online membership run business, not solely a retail box model, I am reminded of a more successful membership run company, Costco.

    Sears could learn a lot from Costco's business model, both online and retail. I for one would like to see a company that fills the voids between Home Depot (Lowes), Ikea, and other home building (home furnishing) companies. Sears could, in my mind, create a roof (retail stores and online website) for consumer products that center around the home, from newly built to rehab to ongoing maintenance.

    Hell, Sears once sold Kit homes that most of us today would be proud to call home. Their Kenmore and Craftman lines reminds me of Kirkland Signature. Even home financing could reside under the Sears "roof".

    Homes need designers, architects, and skilled labor. Sears could easily provide a high end low cost solution for the masses.

    Now we just need to help college graduates get jobs that pays well enough to afford a home.

    If things don't change soon shareholder may have to get used to wearing "Searsucker" all year long.

    Note: I hope this thread had something to do with today's positive move!
  • edited November 2014
    Certainly interesting to watch...

    image

    But a lot of altitude to make up given its decline the last 5 years...

    image
  • @scott Why Sears will survive ! Craftman Tools, Made In America, and music to my ears.
    Regards,
    Ted
  • Not so sure that Craftsman tools are still made here, Ted. Seems to me that I've heard or read otherwise. But they sure as hell were made well, years ago. I've still got quite a few that I bought over 50 years ago.
  • @Old_Joe: You are correct, many are made overseas.
    Regard,
    Ted
    Recently, the top brass at Sears had decided to outsource the manufacturing of Craftsman hand tools to places like China and Taiwan. The sockets, ratchets, wrenches and other hand tools you buy are now being made overseas. The quality is nowhere near as good as the USA made stuff.
  • edited November 2014
    "the top brass"

    Every time I hear that I think it's usually more like "the top plastic".
  • http://www.marketwatch.com/story/why-sears-is-still-a-sell-2014-11-07?link=MW_home_latest_news

    Creation of a REIT would amount to “just buying them some more time,” said Ken Perkins, president of Retail Metrics. “Almost all of what they have done over the past several years is financial engineering and not addressing the core business problems.”

    EXACTLY. People complained about IBM's financial engineering - what Eddie Lampert has done to Sears over the last several years is the biggest example of the worst aspects of financial engineering.
  • Sounds kinda like ol' "Chainsaw Al" Dunlap at the murder and autopsy of Sunbeam.
  • I'll believe it when I see it. The time for talking is over. Time for action now.

    I do think the name Sears might be a negative at this stage. Perhaps a name change would be beneficial.
  • @Ted Also, Craftsman tools are no longer exclusive to Sears. The brain trust decided to dilute one of their most valuable assets by letting other retailers sell them, including Ace Hardware.
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