Notorious short-seller accuses Carl Icahn of carrying out a ponzi scheme

A notorious short-seller has targeted activist billionaire investor Carl Icahn, accusing his company of relying on “ponzi-style economic structures” to pay unsustainable shareholder dividends.

Hindenburg Research announced a short position in Icahn Enterprises (IEP) on Tuesday and released a report accusing the holding company of driving up the value of its units and taking on too much debt.

In a public statement, Ichan labeled the Hindenburg report as “self-serving,” adding, “We stand behind our public disclosures and we believe the long-term performance of the IEP will speak for itself, as always.”

The report sparks a battle between two renowned activist investors, with Hindenburg, led by notorious short-seller Nathan Anderson, targeting Icahn, a Wall Street legend who made his fortune as a corporate robber.

Shares of IEP, which is controlled by Icahn and had a market value of about $18 billion at last close, plummeted as much as 20 percent during afternoon trading on Tuesday.

Hindenburg’s report accuses the company of selling its units to new investors to prop up colossal and “unsustainable” dividend payments, which are the largest of any major U.S. company at about 15.8 percent.

Shares of IEP, which is controlled by Icahn and had a market value of about $18 billion at last close, plummeted as much as 20 percent in Tuesday afternoon trading

In short, Icahn has used money raised from new investors to pay dividends to old investors. Hindenburg report said. “Such Ponzi-like economic structures are sustainable only to the extent that new money is willing to take the risk of being the last ‘to hold the bag’.”

The report claims that Icahn Enterprises’ rich cash dividends are “mathematically unsustainable” and not backed by the company’s free cash flow.

“In the past 4 years alone, IEP has paid $980 million in cash dividends, despite cumulatively burning nearly $1.6 billion in free cash flow,” Hindenburg wrote.

Hindenburg also claimed that the valuation of Icahn Enterprises units was inflated by more than 75 percent and that the company’s stock “trades at a 218 percent premium to its last reported net asset value (NAV), far higher than any comparable shares’.

The report also notes that only one major investment bank offers research coverage on Icahn Enterprises: Jefferies, which has maintained a continuous “buy” rating on IEP while managing all of the company’s new equity offerings since 2019.

Hindenburg also notes that Jeffries research reports assume IEP’s dividend will continue forever even in the pessimistic scenario, a projection the report calls “one of the worst cases of sales-side malpractice we’ve seen.”

The report adds: “Overall, we think that Icahn, a Wall Street legend, made a classic mistake of exerting too much influence in the face of sustained losses: a combination that rarely ends well.”

Jefferies did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com requests for comment, and Hindenburg’s claims could not immediately be independently verified.

Icahn, a Wall Street legend who made his fortune as a corporate raider, has an estimated net worth of $24.8 billion and co-owns about 85 percent of IEP stock with his son

Hindenburg, run by notorious short-seller Nathan Anderson, profits from taking large positions in the companies it reports on, betting their shares will plummet

Far from being an impartial watchdog, Hindenburg benefits from taking big sorting positions in the companies it reports on, betting that their shares will drop as the markets process the research.

However, Hindenburg’s investigation has previously led to criminal charges and convictions, including that of Nikola founder Trevor Milton, who was found guilty of misleading investors with exaggerated claims about his electric truck company.

In January, Hindenburg took aim at Indian billionaire Gautam Adani, in a report alleging that his conglomerate Adani Group has been “guilty of brutal stock manipulation and accounting fraud over decades.”

Adani Group vehemently denied the allegations and was shocked by the allegations, which wiped billions from the company’s market cap and founder’s net worth.

In March, Hindenburg released a scathing report on Jack Dorsey’s payments company Block, accusing the company of misleading investors and embracing a criminal user base.

Block responded in a statement to DailyMail.com, saying it would investigate legal action against the short seller over its “factually inaccurate and misleading report” that was “designed to mislead and confuse investors.”

In March, Hindenburg released a scathing report on Jack Dorsey’s payments company Block, accusing the company of misleading investors and embracing a criminal user base

Founded in 2017 by Nathan Anderson, Hindenburg Research is a forensic financial investigation firm that investigates corporate fraud, corruption or crime.

It’s named after the high-profile tragedy of the 1937 Hindenburg Airship, which ignited when it flew into New Jersey, an incident the company describes as the “epitomization of an entirely man-made, totally avoidable disaster.”

Hindenburg says it is looking for similar “man-made disasters” in financial markets “before they lure more unsuspecting victims.”

The company typically spends months conducting its investigations, studying financial disclosures and talking to current and former employees.

The firm invests its own capital and distributes its reports to limited partners who take short positions with Hindenburg in the target companies.