VGI Partners Launched A Short Campaign Against Corporate Travel Management Limited

October 29, 2018 03:20 AM AEDT | By Team Kalkine Media
 VGI Partners Launched A Short Campaign Against Corporate Travel Management Limited

The securities of Corporate Travel Management Limited (ASX:CTD) were placed in trading at a halt, following an ASX announcement on 29 October 2018 after hedge fund VGI Partners launched an activist short campaign against the company.

Hedge fund VGI Partners has a solid reputation for picking market winners and losers and recently it has released a 176-page presentation on the travel specialist Corporate Travel Management Limited (CTM), in which VGI has accused Corporate Travel Management of aggressive accounting, poor disclosure of accounts and running ghost offices in Europe and America. VGI Partners have raised questions regarding the credibility of the company’s management and VGI Partners also suggested that Corporate Travel Management’s global footprint is much smaller than the company suggests.

VGI Partners identified 20 “red flags” in a scathing 176-page presentation distributed to its clients due to which VGI has taken a short position over the Corporate Travel Management Limited. The presentation on Corporate Travel is containing pictures of corporate directories, empty offices, back-street buildings and a picture of the CTM "office" in Dutch Harbor in Alaska, which is located in the baggage claim area of the local airport. VGI Partners have also raised questions about the accounts and disclosure of Corporate Travel Management Limited, due to which the shares of CTM were placed in halt as on 29 October 2018.Â

In a note to investors, VGI has informed that it visited the firm’s web-listed offices in Glasgow, Paris, Amsterdam, Stockholm, and Switzerland and it has found no sign of activity in the buildings they supposedly operated out and other offices in the United States were either ghost offices or staffed with a skeleton crew. VGI Partners has questioned how Corporate Travel Management could be twice as profitable as other similar travel agencies and it has also raised questions over the sudden and unexplained change in the process of recognizing revenues in Corporate Travel Management.

In the recently released annual report, the Corporate Travel Management Limited reported that it has earned a statutory net profit after tax (NPAT) of $76.7 million in FY 2018 which was $54.6 million in the FY 2017, representing a 41 percent increase on Y-o-Y basis. The company also reported about its sound financial position, with total assets of $804.8 million at 30 June 2018, an increase of $64.6 million or 9 percent from 30 June 2017. The increase in assets is primarily due to the continued strong operating performance of the business. The continued generation of strong cash flows contributed to the company’s sound financial position, with net cash flows from operating activities of $94.4 million over the year to 30 June 2018. The company was having a total equity of $471.5 million at 30 June 2018.

In the last six months, the share price of Corporate Travel Management Limited increased by 16.72 percent as on 26 October 2018. CTD’s shares last traded at $27.640 with a market capitalization of circa $3 billion as on 29 October 2018 (AEST 2:04 PM).


Disclaimer

The advice given by Kalkine Pty Ltd and provided on this website is general information only and it does not take into account your investment objectives, financial situation or needs. You should therefore consider whether the advice is appropriate to your investment objectives, financial situation and needs before acting upon it. You should seek advice from a financial adviser, stockbroker or other professional (including taxation and legal advice) as necessary before acting on any advice. Not all investments are appropriate for all people. Kalkinemedia.com and associated websites are published by Kalkine Pty Ltd ABN 34 154 808 312 (Australian Financial Services License Number 425376). website), employees and/or associates of Kalkine Pty Ltd do not hold positions in any of the stocks covered on the website. These stocks can change any time and readers of the reports should not consider these stocks as advice or recommendations.

Â

Â


Disclaimer

The content, including but not limited to any articles, news, quotes, information, data, text, reports, ratings, opinions, images, photos, graphics, graphs, charts, animations and video (Content) is a service of Kalkine Media Pty Ltd (Kalkine Media, we or us), ACN 629 651 672 and is available for personal and non-commercial use only. The principal purpose of the Content is to educate and inform. The Content does not contain or imply any recommendation or opinion intended to influence your financial decisions and must not be relied upon by you as such. Some of the Content on this website may be sponsored/non-sponsored, as applicable, but is NOT a solicitation or recommendation to buy, sell or hold the stocks of the company(s) or engage in any investment activity under discussion. Kalkine Media is neither licensed nor qualified to provide investment advice through this platform. Users should make their own enquiries about any investments and Kalkine Media strongly suggests the users to seek advice from a financial adviser, stockbroker or other professional (including taxation and legal advice), as necessary. Kalkine Media hereby disclaims any and all the liabilities to any user for any direct, indirect, implied, punitive, special, incidental or other consequential damages arising from any use of the Content on this website, which is provided without warranties. The views expressed in the Content by the guests, if any, are their own and do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of Kalkine Media. Some of the images/music that may be used on this website are copyright to their respective owner(s). Kalkine Media does not claim ownership of any of the pictures displayed/music used on this website unless stated otherwise. The images/music that may be used on this website are taken from various sources on the internet, including paid subscriptions or are believed to be in public domain. We have used reasonable efforts to accredit the source wherever it was indicated as or found to be necessary.


AU_advertise

Advertise your brand on Kalkine Media

Sponsored Articles


Investing Ideas

Previous Next
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.