Liberty Broadband (LBRDA, Financial) is a holding company for Liberty’s ownership stake of Charter Communications. Shares of Charter, and cable companies broadly, have performed well in the wake of the U.S. election. Although much remains to be seen, investors generally believe that regulatory pressures will ease as a result of a presumably more “industry friendly” Federal Communications Commission (FCC) as well as a Justice Department that may look more favorably on further industry consolidation. Investors are also hopeful that either the FCC or a Republican-controlled Congress will revisit actions of the previous FCC, including the more controversial actions taken as part of its “Net Neutrality” packages. We have invested in Liberty Broadband because we like the operating strategy at Charter, and while regulatory relief would certainly be a benefit, it’s not an explicit part of our investment thesis. Liberty Broadband shares trade at a discount to their underlying Charter investment due to the added complexity of Liberty’s involvement. We are confident Liberty’s management will ultimately collapse this discount, thereby making Liberty Broadband a cheaper opportunity to invest in Charter’s future.
From Weitz Investment Management's Value Fund fourth quarter 2016 commentary.
