Activist fund Trian buys stake in Unilever – Financial Times

Nelson Peltz’s activist hedge fund Trian Partners has acquired a stake in Unilever, according to the Financial Times. 

The $8.5 billion US hedge fund has taken a position in the UK business’ shares, which marks Trian’s latest investment in the consumer goods category.

The acquisition of shares in the company comes after Unilever’s £50 billion attempted takeover of GlaxoSmithKline‘s consumer health business last week, which resulted in three failed bids. 

The failed acquisition drove Unilever’s share price down by 11% although the company recovered part of the losses after it said it would not raise its offer any further.

The Financial Times stated that shares in Unilever have dropped 17.7% over the past year – excluding dividends.

Trian and Unilever have not commented.