Explaining this week's action The great drive with HRT Oil shares this week, which raised the price by 33% in four days and confused part of the market, is the most visible part of a movement of large foreign and domestic investors who are losing patience with the company. They want to change the board and remove Marcio Rocha Mello, founder of oil, as chairman of the board, allowing him to occupy the presidency of HRT Participações em Petroleo (HRTP).
According to a source familiar with the matter, the movement of the last few days has been led by Discovery Capital Management, a hedge fund based in the USA which manages a portfolio of $ 7 billion, working together with Southeastern Asset Management, which manages $ 32 billion in assets and is now largest individual shareholder of HRT, with 14.28% of the shares.
Led by investor Mason Hawkins, Southeastern has been trying, with great success, change from passive to active participation in the companies which hold shares. That's what happened last year in Chesapeake Energy Corp., the giant American gas from which the co-founder Aubrey McClendon turned away with half the company's board after a series of bold bets. More recently, they tried to participate in the delisting of computer maker Dell, which also holds a majority of shares in private hands, this time without success.
In Brazil, the goal is to join forces with other investors to improve governance, control box and review the business plan of HRT...