By Svea Herbst-Bayliss
BOSTON (Reuters) – Trian Fund Management LP has proposed shaking up the board at asset management firm Janus Henderson Group where the activist investment firm now owns a 15.43% stake, according to a regulatory filing made on Tuesday.
Trian, run by Nelson Peltz, Edward Garden and Peter May, said in the filing that it is speaking with the board and management about strategic and operational changes that could help boost the share price.
“As part of those discussions, the Reporting Persons have proposed changes to the composition of the Board, including the addition of independent directors unaffiliated with the Reporting Persons,” the filing said.
Representatives for Trian and Janus Henderson were not immediately available to comment.
Trian has long pushed for more consolidation in the asset management industry and unveiled a roughly 10% stake in Janus Henderson as well as a roughly 10% stake in asset manager Invesco a year ago. Since then, Trian has raised its stake in Janus Henderson and said it bought more shares between Oct. 5, 2021 and Nov. 16, 2021 to reach its current 15.43% stake.
Janus Henderson was itself part of a wave of asset management industry consolidation when it was created in 2017 through a merger of Janus Capital and Henderson Global Investors. The company has a 10-member board.
Janus Henderson oversees $419 billion in assets compared with the roughly $10 trillion in assets overseen by BlackRock, one of the industry’s biggest asset managers. Its stock price has climbed 70% in the last 12 months and closed at $46.30 on Tuesday.
Trian previously owned a stake in asset manager Legg Mason where Peltz served on the board before the company was acquired by rival Franklin Templeton. Trian is known to push for operational changes at its targets, including mergers or sales, but it often tries to engage with management out of the limelight.
(Reporting by Svea Herbst-Bayliss; Editing by Stephen Coates)
