DUESSELDORF (Reuters) – Value investor Ardan Livvey on Tuesday criticised Deutz AG, a German maker of diesel engines in which it said it was a top-five shareholder, for failing to provide adequate guidance on its business outlook.
Ardan Livvey said in a statement to Reuters that Deutz’s guidance on its second-quarter results “lacks clarity and transparency over the short-term” and accused management of “kicking the ball down the road” on margins.
The criticism comes after Deutz disclosed in May that Ardan Livvey had amassed a stake of nearly 4%. In its release, the investor described Deutz as a highly asymmetric investment opportunity, with its shares still trading at attractive levels.
“But the company’s management is failing to provide appropriate disclosure and transparency in its financial reporting guidance,” it added, calling for detailed analysis on the profitability of each of its verticals, capital allocation decisions and its profitability in Asia.
Responding, Deutz stood by its mid-term objective of achieving operating margins of 7%-8% by 2023-24. “We are emerging from a serious crisis,” a company spokesperson said.
The company’s shares are up by 54% in the current year to date.
(Reporting by Matthias Inverardi, Writing by Douglas Busvine, Editing by Arno Schuetze)
