📖Carl Icahn
Focus on Intrinsic Value
Compare price to intrinsic value, not to past prices.
Always estimate the intrinsic value of a business before investing. Compare price to value, not price to past price. The gap between price and value is where profits are made.
🏠 Everyday Analogy
📖 Core Interpretation
In Focus on Intrinsic Value, Carl Icahn focuses on the gap between price and value. Returns come from paying less than what a business is worth, not from guessing short-term market moves.
💎 Key Insight：The price-value gap is the source of returns.
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❓ Why It Matters
Ignoring valuation turns even good companies into poor investments. Overpaying compresses future returns and leaves little margin when assumptions are wrong.
🎯 How to Practice
Estimate intrinsic value with conservative assumptions, set clear buy ranges, and act only when price offers a meaningful discount with acceptable downside.
⚠️ Common Pitfalls
Confusing a low price with true cheapness
Using one metric without business context
Overly optimistic assumptions that erase margin of safety
📚 Case Studies
1
Texaco Bankruptcy Play (1986)
Icahn accumulated a large Texaco stake during its bankruptcy after the Pennzoil judgment, pushing for asset sales or a takeover to unlock value.
✨ Outcome：Exited with profit as Texaco settled litigation and restructured, though he did not gain full control.
2
Netflix Stake Amid Doubts (2012)
Icahn disclosed roughly 10% stake in Netflix when Wall Street feared rising content costs and competition from Amazon and HBO.
✨ Outcome：Management later adopted a poison pill; Icahn exited much of the position with large profits as the stock multiplied over the next few years.
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