Yacktman Funds Comments on Fox

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Feb 19, 2018

Toward the end of 2017, Fox (NASDAQ:FOX) and The Walt Disney Company (Disney) (NYSE:DIS) entered into a transformative transaction in which Fox will merge the majority of its assets in exchange for Disney stock in a deal we expect to receive approval from regulatory agencies. In addition to Disney shares, Fox shareholders will receive shares in “New Fox” which will retain valuable businesses including Fox News, Fox Sports, Fox Network, television stations, real estate and investments. New Fox and Disney will both benefit significantly from the lower corporate tax rate which was passed in the U.S. in late December.

For several years, we have been puzzled as others looked past the significant value we observed at Fox. We felt the market was largely ignoring Fox’s global businesses that were underearning because management was investing for future growth. Competitors in the industry better understood the value and importance of Fox’s businesses, which was demonstrated by press reports of significant interest in ownership of Star and investment stakes in Sky and Hulu by not only Disney but also Comcast, Sony and Verizon. We believe the proposed transaction with Disney, resulting in a large ownership stake in Disney’s stock, represents an exciting long-term opportunity for Fox investors, and we applaud the Murdoch family and board of directors of Fox for being fantastic stewards for shareholders and always thinking and investing for the long term.

The recent result of our Fox investment should reinforce for the Fund’s shareholders that a combination of patience and a significant discount to fair value has worked well over time. Another key takeaway is that we dynamically adjust our position size in response to valuation as a core part of our process. In mid-2014, the Fox position was 7% of assets. Today the weighting has more than doubled because Fox’s business value grew substantially in the ensuing years. In addition to an inexpensive absolute valuation, we believe Fox is a far better deal compared to alternative investment opportunities which have gotten more expensive through multiple expansion (people paying a higher price for a given level of earnings).

Many investors seek a catalyst that they think will help move shares higher in the short term. Most of the time, our investments lack such a well-defined trigger to unlock value in the near term as we are more interested in a quality business selling at a substantial discount to what we think it is worth. We are willing to wait as long as we need to if we see significantly more value than the current trading price. We see our patience as a huge competitive advantage, one that exists because Yacktman is a boutique firm. The Fund’s portfolio managers control the day-to-day decisions in the Fund and at the firm, and we only answer to ourselves, our Fund board and our investors about long-term results.

From Yacktman Fund (Trades, Portfolio)s' fourth quarter 2017 shareholder letter.