(Bloomberg) -- Shares in Japanese train operators Keisei Electric Railway Co. and Keikyu Corp. jumped Monday morning following reports that a fund linked to activist investor Yoshiaki Murakami has built stakes in both companies.
Keisei’s stock jumped over 18%, its sharpest intraday rise since October 2008, with Keikyu climbing more than 16%, the most since 1987. A Murakami-associated fund has taken an almost 5% stake in Keikyu and owns fewer than 1% of Keisei shares, according to a Monday report by Toyo Keizai, citing an unidentified person.
The news is a positive for both companies and delivered a boost to Japan’s rail sector stocks, said Andrew Jackson, head of Japan Equity Strategy at Ortus Advisors. Odakyu Electric Railway Co. climbed as much as 4.9% in early trading Monday, with Central Japan Railway Co. and West Japan Railway Co. both rising around 2% at one point.
“It’s a knee-jerk reaction, as (rail operators) are generally all seen as value plays, but I’m not expecting much follow-on,” said Jackson.
Keisei provides rail and bus services in Tokyo and Chiba prefecture, including the Skyliner express train that runs between central Tokyo and Narita Airport. Keikyu operates trains and buses in Tokyo and Yokohama, including the Keikyu Main Line.
A spokesperson for Keisei told Toyo Keizai the company was not aware of a Murakami-related stake, with a representative for Keikyu saying the operator does not comment on individual shareholders. It is unclear exactly which fund, or funds, have taken stakes in the railway providers, according to the report.
Former bureaucrat Murakami’s funds are among a rising number of activists campaigning to unlock hidden value in Japan’s companies, many of which are trading below book value. Last week, US firm Elliott Investment Management said it had taken a 5% stake in Tokyo Gas Co., prompting the utility’s stock to rise 13% on Nov. 20.
Fellow US activist Oasis Management Co. increased its stake in drugmaker Kobayashi Pharmaceutical Co. and was reported to have invested in struggling carmaker Nissan Motor Co. earlier this month.
Activist investors will likely push for Keisei to sell its 19% stake in theme park operator Oriental Land Co., said Amir Anvarzadeh, Japan equity strategist at Asymmetric Advisors. “We have known for a long time that Keisei is under pressure to dump its stake in Oriental Land,” he said.
Shares of the Tokyo Disney Resort operator rose as much as 4.7% on Monday morning after the activist news broke. The company’s shares have fallen 34% so far this year, as bad weather, including extreme heat and heavy rain, pressured visitor numbers.
C&I Holdings Co., a fund backed by Murakami, owns more than 6% of Exedy Corp., which manufactures automobile parts, according to Bloomberg data. Funds linked to the veteran investor have also previously taken stakes in Aozora Bank Ltd. and Cosmo Energy Holdings, among others.
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