Level 3 Communications (NYSE:LVLT) (+4%, +0.37%), the multinational telecommunications and Internet service provider, did not have a significant impact on the Fund’s performance but made a major announcement during the quarter. CEO Jeff Storey was named the successor to CEO Glen Post at CenturyLink, whose acquisition of Level 3 should close in a few months. With this announcement, we are thrilled that Storey’s stellar team, who created 182% in shareholder return since he took over in 2013, will be running operations at the new CenturyLink — a powerful combination of Level 3 with CenturyLink’s fiber network, most of which came through its 2011 acquisition of Qwest. Level 3 is the Fund’s largest position but will become a normal weight after the merger because at the current CenturyLink price, around 45% of the deal will be paid in cash.
From Longleaf Partners Fund second quarter 2017 shareholder letter.
