AVI Global Special Situations

Overview

Key facts

Total Assets:
$44.5m *
Launch Date:
17 April 2024

Annual Management Charge:
0.75%**
Share Price - Class A GBP:
£105.17

* As of 31 May 2026
** A Share Class

About the Fund

Asset Value Investors is an employee-owned boutique investment manager investing globally with a bottom-up, engagement focused style since 1985.

In this introductory video, get to know Asset Value Investors as they share their journey and the investment strategy, they have been following for over 40 years. CEO & CIO Joe Bauernfreund is joined by three of AVI’s dedicated team members to discuss their concentrated but diversified portfolio that spans all sectors and geographies.

Investor Infomation

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Most popular companies
We last wrote about Vivendi in the March newsletter, yet it warrants a quick update. Since then, the stock is up +32%, as a +19% increase in the NAV has been buoyed by a narrowing of the discount to 43% from 49% (a return of +11%). As we wrote at the time, in April UMG (86% of NAV) was subject to a proposed transaction from Pershing Square (“PS”) at an ostensible +78% premium, by way of a proposed merger with Pershing Square SPARC Holdings, a blank cheque acquisition company. In May it was announced that Bolloré – and in-turn the UMG board – have rejected this proposal. With that said, we do believe the PS offer highlights UMG’s deep undervaluation -their public presentation articulated the reasons for this well and provided sensible remedies too. Whilst the transaction itself has been rejected, UMG management appear to be heeding some of the advice, announcing plans to monetise half its stake in Spotify, having doubled the buyback from €500m to €1bn, and making some improvements to financial disclosure. The board’s statement rejecting the PS offer highlighted that adjusted EBITDA had grown nearly +70% since IPO. The share price however is some -14% from where it closed on the day of the IPO. We believe the onus is on management – and Bolloré – to prove they can unlock shareholder value. Post month-end this feels particularly acute with the news that PS have exited their position in UMG entirely in an accelerated book build, with UMG buying back €250m of stock. We believe their sale speaks to the level of deep frustration at the status quo – which we share. Turning to Vivendi, the discount contracted 500bps to 43% in the last two weeks of May. The proximate cause relates to an ongoing legal battle pertaining as to whether Vincent Bolloré held de-facto control of Vivendi at the time of the 2024 split, and as such whether he should be obligated to make a mandatory offer for the company (which we have discussed here and here). We expect an outcome from the trial in early July this year, but court reports suggest important new evidence has come to light and the Advocate General has reportedly argued in favour of the notion of Bolloré being in control, The market has started to price some possibility of a more favourable outcome for Vivendi minorities. We expect there to be many twists and turns – and potentially appeals yet – but we believe at a 43% discount, investors are placing a fairly low probability on a mandatory fair value take private offer. The combination of the still wide discount and the significant potential upside from UMG provide the ingredients for attractive returns from here.
February 2026
In last month’s newsletter we discussed how we had recently made Toyota Industries the largest position, reflecting what we perceived to be an asymmetric set up. After month end it was announced that Toyota Group had raised its offer for Toyota Industries by +10% to 20,600 Yen per share, a 26% increase from its initial bid. This latest bid is in line with the Company’s book value, and whilst undoubtedly an attractive price for the acquirers, represents a much fairer outcome for minority shareholders. It also represents an important milestone for Japanese corporate governance reform, and the power of activism in Japan. Having initiated a position in Toyota at the Fund’s launch, over the course of the investment it generated an IRR of +28% (in Yen), compared to -14% for the TOPIX and +14% for the MSCI AC World Index (also in Yen).
March 2026
At the other end News Corp (+33bps) was the only meaningful contributor. During the month Dow Jones (45% News Corp NAV) held a Capital Markets Day, which set out plans to grow EBITDA from $558m in FY2025 to >$1bn over the next five years (c.14% above consensus). We came away highly impressed, adding further fortitude to our belief in the value of the Professional Information Business the company has built. This comes after a period of significant market worry about the perceived threat of AI for data-related companies. We believe the effects of AI disruption will not be evenly distributed, and that proprietary data assets with high degrees of workflow integration and high switching costs (such as Risk & Compliance), or where trust and market standard setting is important (such as OPIS), will not only survive but prosper. The onus remains on News Corp management and the family to unlock latent value for shareholders.

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Disclaimer

The content of this website is issued by Asset Value Investors Limited (“AVI”), 2 Cavendish Square, London W1G 0PU.  AVI is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority of the United Kingdom (the “FCA”) and is a registered investment adviser with the Securities and Exchange Commission of the United States. While the Investment Manager is registered with the SEC as an investment adviser, it does not comply with the Advisers Act with regard to its non-U.S. clients.

To the extent that material on this website is issued in the UK, it is issued for the purposes of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000

Intended Audience
The information on this website is provided to you for informational purposes only and should not be regarded as an offer or solicitation of an offer to buy or sell any investments or related services that may be referenced on this website. The information contained on this website is subject to change without notice.

It is your responsibility to observe all applicable laws and regulations of any relevant jurisdiction.

This website is primarily intended for United Kingdom (“UK”) residents. It is not intended for distribution to, or use by, any U.S. persons or persons in any other country where such distribution, publication or use would be contrary to local law or regulation or in which AVI does not hold any necessary licence or registration. Individuals or entities in respect of whom such prohibitions apply, must not access or use the AVI website.

No Tax or Legal Advice
Nothing on this website constitutes investment, legal, tax or other advice nor should it be relied upon in making an investment decision.

Money Laundering
As a result of money laundering regulations, additional documentation for identification purposes may be required when you make your investment. Full details are contained in the relevant subscription documents.

Investment Decisions
As with all financial or investment matters, you should exercise great care in using the information provided on this website or available through links from this website. You should research the facts, opinions and strategies mentioned in this website before making any financial investment decisions. If you are unsure about the meaning of any information provided, please consult your financial adviser or other professional adviser.

No Warranty; Limitation on Liability
Neither AVI, any of its directors, officers or employees, nor any third party vendor, will be liable or have any responsibility of any kind for any loss or damage that you incur in the event of any failure or interruption of this site, or resulting from the act or omission of any other party involved in making this site or the data contained therein available to you, or from any other cause relating to your access to, inability to access, or use of the site or these materials, whether or not the circumstances giving rise to such cause may have been within the control of AVI, or of any vendor providing software or services support.

All information and content on this website is subject to applicable statutes and regulations, furnished “as is”, without warranty of any kind, express or implied, including but not limited to implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose or non-infringement. We make no warranty as to the operation, functionality or availability of this website, that the website will be error-free or that defects will be corrected.

In no event shall AVI be liable to any indirect, incidental, special or consequential damages arising out of or in connection with the use of this website, the inability to use this site or any products or services obtained or stored in or from this website, whether based on contract, tort, strict liability or otherwise. These limitations also apply to any third-party claims against users.

Intellectual Property
Everything on this website is the valuable intellectual property of Asset Value Investors Limited, or their respective suppliers. We protect our intellectual property rights to the full extent of the law.

Copyright Policy
No permission is granted to copy, distribute, modify, post or frame any text, graphics, video, audio, software code, or user interface design or logos.

Hyperlinks
The existence of hyperlinks should not be construed as an endorsement, approval or verification by AVI of any content available on third party sites. By providing access to other websites, we are not recommending the purchase or sale of products or services provided by the website’s sponsoring organization. We do not review any of these third-party sites. AVI reserves the right to require written consent for, or request the removal of, any links to our website.

AVI disclaims all responsibility and liability for the content on third party sites.

Security
For your protection, we require the use of encryption technologies for certain types of communications conducted through this website. While we provide those technologies and use other reasonable precautions to protect confidential information and provide suitable security, we do not guarantee or warrant that information transmitted through the Internet is secure, or that such transmissions will be free from delay, interruption, interception or error. You acknowledge and agree that users of this website and users, owners, or managers of third party websites may not: (i) collect or store personal data about other users of this website or (ii) upload, e-mail or otherwise transmit any material that contains viruses or any other computer code, files or programs that might interrupt, limit or interfere with the functionality of any computer software, hardware, database or file, or communications equipment that is owned, leased or used by AVI.

Privacy Policy
We encourage you to read AVI’s Privacy Policy which can be obtained by clicking the Privacy Policy button found on the Homepage.

General Terms
Deliberate misuse of any element of this website including, without limitation, hacking, introduction of viruses or similar code, disruption or excessive use or any use in contravention of applicable law, is expressly prohibited and we reserve the right to terminate your access to the website, and at our discretion, pass information to the legal authorities.

We reserve the right at any time on giving notice to change or modify these terms and conditions or to impose new conditions in respect of this website or to change or discontinue any aspect or feature of this website. We shall be entitled to terminate your access to this website at any time on giving notice to you and in any event if you commit any breach of these terms and conditions.

We shall have no liability to you for such termination. Notices may be served by any reasonable method including posting on this website.

You shall indemnify us from and against all actions, claims, proceedings, costs and damages (including any damages or compensation paid by us on the advice of its legal advisors to compromise or settle any claim) and all legal costs or expenses arising out of your use of this website, any breach of any applicable law, statute, ordinance, regulation or third party rights and any breach by you of the software licenses and service agreements governing the software made available to you in connection with this website.

These terms and conditions shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of England without regard to conflicts of law principles. Nothing in these Terms and Conditions will exclude or restrict any duty or liability we may have under applicable rules or regulations.

Disclaimer

The content of this website is issued by Asset Value Investors Limited (“AVI”), 2 Cavendish Square, London W1G 0PU.

AVI is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority of the United Kingdom (the “FCA”) and is a registered investment adviser with the Securities and Exchange Commission of the United States. While the Investment Manager is registered with the SEC as an investment adviser, it does not comply with the Advisers Act with regard to its non-U.S. clients.

Intended Audience
The information on this website is provided to you for informational purposes only and should not be regarded as an offer or solicitation of an offer to buy or sell any investments or related services that may be referenced on this website. The information contained on this website is subject to change without notice.

This website is primarily intended for UK residents. It is not intended for distribution to, or use by, any U.S. persons or persons in any other country where such distribution or use would be contrary to local law or regulation.

It is your responsibility to observe all applicable laws and regulations of any relevant jurisdiction.

No Tax or Legal Advice
Nothing on this website constitutes investment, legal, tax or other advice nor should it be relied upon in making an investment decision.

Money Laundering
As a result of money laundering regulations, additional documentation for identification purposes may be required when you make your investment. Full details are contained in the relevant subscription documents.

Investment Decisions
As with all financial or investment matters, you should exercise great care in using the information provided on this website or available through links from this website. You should research the facts, opinions and strategies mentioned in this website before making any financial investment decisions. If you are unsure about the meaning of any information provided, please consult your financial adviser or other professional adviser.

No Warranty; Limitation on Liability
Whilst all reasonable care has been taken in the preparation of this website, AVI cannot guarantee the accuracy or completeness of such information, either expressly or implied. Neither AVI, any of its directors, officers or employees, nor any third party vendor, will be liable or have any responsibility of any kind for any loss or damage that you incur in the event of any failure or interruption of this site, or resulting from the act or omission of any other party involved in making this site or the data contained therein available to you, or from any other cause relating to your access to, inability to access, or use of the site or these materials, whether or not the circumstances giving rise to such cause may have been within the control of AVI, or of any vendor providing software or services support.

All information and content on this website is subject to applicable statutes and regulations, furnished “as is”, without warranty of any kind, express or implied, including but not limited to implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose or non-infringement. We make no warranty as to the operation, functionality or availability of this website, that the website will be error-free or that defects will be corrected.

In no event shall AVI be liable to any indirect, incidental, special or consequential damages arising out of or in connection with the use of this website, the inability to use this site or any products or services obtained or stored in or from this website, whether based on contract, tort, strict liability or otherwise. These limitations also apply to any third-party claims against users.

Intellectual Property
Everything on this website is the valuable intellectual property of Asset Value Investors Limited, or their respective suppliers. We protect our intellectual property rights to the full extent of the law.

Copyright Policy
No permission is granted to copy, distribute, modify, post or frame any text, graphics, video, audio, software code, or user interface design or logos.

Hyperlinks
The existence of hyperlinks should not be construed as an endorsement, approval or verification by AVI of any content available on third party sites. By providing access to other websites, we are not recommending the purchase or sale of products or services provided by the website’s sponsoring organization. We do not review any of these third-party sites. AVI reserves the right to require written consent for, or request the removal of, any links to our website.

AVI disclaims all responsibility for the content of third-party sites

Security
For your protection, we require the use of encryption technologies for certain types of communications conducted through this website. While we provide those technologies and use other reasonable precautions to protect confidential information and provide suitable security, we do not guarantee or warrant that information transmitted through the Internet is secure, or that such transmissions will be free from delay, interruption, interception or error.

You acknowledge and agree that users of this website and users, owners, or managers of third party websites may not: (i) collect or store personal data about other users of this website or (ii) upload, e-mail or otherwise transmit any material that contains viruses or any other computer code, files or programs that might interrupt, limit or interfere with the functionality of any computer software, hardware, database or file, or communications equipment that is owned, leased or used by AVI.

Privacy Policy
We encourage you to read AVI’s Privacy Policy which can be obtained by clicking the Privacy Policy button found on the Homepage.

General Terms
Deliberate misuse of any element of this website including, without limitation, hacking, introduction of viruses or similar code, disruption or excessive use or any use in contravention of applicable law, is expressly prohibited and we reserve the right to terminate your access to the website, and at our discretion, pass information to the legal authorities.

We reserve the right at any time on giving notice to change or modify these terms and conditions or to impose new conditions in respect of this website or to change or discontinue any aspect or feature of this website. We shall be entitled to terminate your access to this website at any time on giving notice to you and in any event if you commit any breach of these terms and conditions. We shall have no liability to you for such termination. Notices may be served by any reasonable method including posting on this website.

You shall indemnify us from and against all actions, claims, proceedings, costs and damages (including any damages or compensation paid by us on the advice of its legal advisors to compromise or settle any claim) and all legal costs or expenses arising out of your use of this website, any breach of any applicable law, statute, ordinance, regulation or third party rights and any breach by you of the software licenses and service agreements governing the software made available to you in connection with this website.

These terms and conditions shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of England without regard to conflicts of law principles. Nothing in these Terms and Conditions will exclude or restrict any duty or liability we may have under applicable rules or regulations.

Disclaimer

INVESTOR – Risk Warnings

It is very important that you read this warning and disclaimer before proceeding, as it explains certain legal and regulatory restrictions applicable to any investment services and products we provide.

The content of this website is issued by Asset Value Investors Ltd (“AVI”), 2 Cavendish Square, London W1G 0PU

AVI is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (“FCA”) in the United Kingdom.

This website is not directed at any person in any jurisdiction where it is illegal or unlawful to access and use such information. AVI disclaims all responsibility if you access any information in breach of any local law or regulation. All persons who access this website are required to inform themselves and to abide with all applicable local law, regulations and restrictions.

The information on this website is not directed at any person or entity in the United States, and this site is not intended for distribution or to be used by any person or entity in the United States unless those persons or entities are existing investors in funds managed by AVI and they have applicable US exemptions.

Nothing on this website constitutes investment, legal, tax or other advice nor should it be relied upon in making an investment decision.

The funds referred to in this website include: alternative investment funds (“AIFs”), UCITS funds, and a collective investment scheme registered in the Cayman Islands. The promotion of such funds and the distribution of offering materials in relation to such funds is accordingly restricted by law.

Shares in the funds mentioned in this website are not dealt in or on a recognised or designated investment exchange, nor is there a market maker in such shares, and it may therefore be difficult for an investor to dispose of his shares.

The information on this website is neither an offer to sell nor a solicitation of any offer to buy shares in any fund managed by AVI.

An application for shares in any of the funds referred to on this site should only be made having fully read the relevant prospectus and most recent financial statement and semi-annual financial statements published thereafter.

The Information is provided for information purposes only and on the basis that you make your own investment decisions and do not rely upon it.

AVI is not soliciting any action based on it and it does not constitute a personal recommendation or investment advice.

Should you have any queries about the investment funds referred to on this website, you should contact your financial adviser.

Past performance is not an indication of future performance. The value of investments and the income from them may go down as well as up and investors may not get back the amount invested.

The funds noted in this website may be subject to higher risk and volatility than other funds and may not be suitable for all investors.

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The information on this website, including any expression of opinion or forecast, has been obtained from, or is based on, sources believed by AVI to be reliable, but are not guaranteed as to their accuracy or completeness and should not be relied upon.

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The existence of hyperlinks should not be construed as an endorsement, approval or verification by AVI of any content available on third party websites. By providing access to other websites, we are not recommending the purchase or sale of products or services provided by the website’s sponsoring organization. We do not review any of these third-party websites.

No permission is granted to copy, distribute, modify, post or frame any text, graphics, video, audio, software code, or user interface design or logos.

Nothing on this site should be considered as granting any licence or right under any trademark of AVI or any third party.

Deliberate misuse of any element of this website including, without limitation, hacking, introduction of viruses or similar code, disruption or excessive use or any use in contravention of applicable law, is expressly prohibited and we reserve the right to terminate your access to the website, and at our discretion, pass information to the legal authorities.

We reserve the right at any time on giving notice to change or modify these terms and conditions or to impose new conditions in respect of this website or to change or discontinue any aspect or feature of this website. We shall be entitled to terminate your access to this website at any time on giving notice to you and in any event if you commit any breach of these terms and conditions. We shall have no liability to you for such termination. Notices may be served by any reasonable method including posting on this website.

These terms and conditions shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of England without regard to conflicts of law principles. Nothing in these Terms and Conditions will exclude or restrict any duty or liability we may have under applicable rules or regulations. You irrevocably waive any right to a jury trial in any dispute or proceeding arising from the use of this site.