Brinks (BCO) Holder MMI Wants To Assist In Strategic Review

In an amended 13D filing this morning on Brinks Co. (NYSE: BCO), 8.4% shareholder MMI Investments, L.P disclosed a letter to the company's consulting firm, Monitor Group, requesting to assist in the evaluation of the strategic options available to the company.

From the letter, "We read with interest the announcement of Monitor Group's retention by The Brink's Company "to assist in the ongoing evaluation of the various strategic options available to the company." During our more than four years as one of the largest owners of Brink's we have spent extensive time and effort scrutinizing Brink's chronic undervaluation and attempting to unlock the company’s significant intrinsic value through the encouragement of strategic alternatives. We believe Monitor Group would benefit from our experience and insights on these issues and would appreciate the opportunity to communicate with your team directly."

Large Brinks (BCO) Holder MMI Investments Now Recomends Spin-Off

In an amended 13D filing after the close Friday on Brinks Co. (NYSE: BCO), 8.3% holder MMI Investments submitted a presentation recommending that the company consider a tax-free spin-off of one of its two business segments.

The firm said, "We believe a spin-off would achieve a number of significant corporate business purposes. As a result of achieving such business purposes, we believe the aggregate value of the two companies would be more than $79 per share, a 25% premium to yesterday’s closing price. This translates into more than $700 million of total market value."

NOTE: Brinks is also an activist target of Pirate Capital. Pirates' managing member Thomas R. Hudson was recently added to Brinks' Board of Directors.

A Copy of the Cover Letter:

Dear Members of the Board,

We remain frustrated with The Brink’s Company’s (“BCO”) longstanding, significant undervaluation relative to its peers. In December we presented an analysis illustrating four different strategic alternatives to attempt to address this chronic undervaluation. Since then BCO has announced no effort to address the situation and the stock has continued to languish, while two competitors have announced acquisitions and two others have proceeded down the path of separating security operations into independent, publicly-traded vehicles.

Accordingly, we have refined our thinking and are providing you our analysis calling for a tax free spin-off of one of BCO’s two business segments to shareholders on a pro rata basis as soon as possible. We have also enclosed herein a memorandum from our counsel regarding many of the pertinent issues and legal considerations arising in the spin-off process. We believe you will find, as we have, that these are eminently addressable with regard to a spin-off. We take at face value the company’s statements that they are always considering the best course to increase value. However, it is time to move from contemplation to action. We believe a spin-off would achieve a number of significant corporate business purposes. As a result of achieving such business purposes, we believe the aggregate value of the two companies would be more than $79 per share, a 25% premium to yesterday’s closing price. This translates into more than $700 million of total market value.

Please consider this promptly, and if you agree, put BCO on a path to realizing this opportunity as soon as possible. The window to capitalize on this option is open at this juncture and, as we stressed when we asked the company to sell BAX in 2005, such windows do not remain open forever. We believe the result would be two strong, viable public companies, each with market capitalizations of approximately $1.5 billion or greater. This corporate transaction is within the control of the Board to initiate and execute, but we believe you would have significant shareholder support behind you. As owners of 8.3% of the outstanding stock, we have been long been admirers of BCO’s management, operations, brands and market positions, and believe that this endeavor would ultimately result in those qualities being more fairly valued in the marketplace.

As always, we are amenable to discussing any of our points in the enclosed analysis.

Clay Lifflander

Pirate Capital's Hudson said Brinks (BCO) should be sold in its entirety or split into two pieces

In an amended 13D filing after the close on Brinks Co. (NYSE: BCO) 8.6% holder Pirate Capital, which recently announced that its founder Thomas Hudson will be added to company's board, noted comments made by Hudson to the Bloomberg news organization saying either the company should be sold in its entirety or split into two pieces.

From the 'Purpose of Transaction' section of the filing:

"On February 14, 2007, the Bloomberg news organization released an article entitled "Pirate Capital's Hudson Says Brink's Should Be Sold or Split Up." The article included a statement provided to the Bloomberg news organization by Thomas R. Hudson Jr., the Manager of Pirate Capital. The first two paragraphs of the article follow:

Feb. 14 (Bloomberg) - Thomas R. Hudson Jr., whose hedge fund company Pirate Capital LLC is the largest shareholder of Brink's Co., said the armored-car maker should be sold.

"At this point the only question in my mind is whether the company should be sold in its entirety or split into two pieces and each piece sold to a separate buyer," Hudson said in an e-mailed statement today."

NOTE: Pirate Capital has been pushing for a sale for some time.

Link to past reports on Pirate Capital's moves realted to Brinks.