Disney beating back activist investors, future looks brighter, Barron’s says

Walt Disney is caught in a contentious battle with multiple activist investors. Shareholders should come out ahead no matter who the winner is, Carleton English writes in this week’s edition of Barron’s. There’s likely to be even more mudslinging over the next few months. Proxy fights, especially ones with multiple actors, are expensive and can be distracting to management. But in this case, it may be just what Disney needs, the author says. Change should keep coming, whether it’s board refreshment, improved succession planning, or tying executive pay to financial performance, as Trian has demanded. And that should be good news, regardless of which path Disney follows, the publication adds.