David Tepper sends scathing letter to Whirlpool

David Tepper, billionaire founder of hedge fund Appaloosa Management, sent a strongly worded letter to Whirlpool‘s board, accusing the appliance maker of destroying shareholder value and calling for sweeping changes to its strategy.

Tepper said in the letter that he watched with “a certain astonishment” as the company issued equity in what he called a large and unnecessary dilution of shareholders. He argued the capital raise came at a cost exceeding 10%, far higher than the company’s tax-adjusted debt cost of below 5% in public markets, despite management’s stated goal of reducing leverage.

“Over the years this management team has destroyed hundreds of millions of dollars of shareholder value. Enough is enough. There can be no more excuses,” Tepper said in the letter, first obtained by CNBC’s Andrew Ross Sorkin.

Whirlpool, the maker of Maytag and other iconic American appliance brands, was the eighth-biggest holding in Appaloosa Management’s portfolio at the end of the fourth quarter, worth $282 million, according to Verity data.

Whirlpool shares tanked 14% on Tuesday amid the secondary share sale, which will raise $454.9 million from a common stock offering and $508.1 million from a depositary share sale, according to the company. Whirlpool also sold 435,000 shares of Guangdong Whirlpool Electrical Appliances at a discounted $69 a share in a private placement.

Shares of Whirlpool were down less than 1% in morning trading after Tepper’s letter came out. The stock has tumbled nearly 36% from its 52-week high from July.

The hedge fund manager also faulted Whirlpool for failing to capitalize on tariffs instituted under the Trump administration, saying the company should explore partnerships or potential mergers with disadvantaged foreign competitors to strengthen its strategic position.

“We encourage the Board to (i) remember their fiduciary responsibilities and not accept management acting purely in its own self-interest, and (ii) invite domestic entities or foreign corporations who want to
create American jobs and increase shareholder value to take an interest in Whirlpool,” said the letter.

Whirlpool didn’t immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment.