If you’re an Apple investor, it certainly would be nice to have a direct line to the company’s CEO, Tim Cook. Apparently, financier Carl Icahn has exactly that, and he likes what he heard from Cook in the their latest conversation. On Tuesday, Icahn shared these two tweets:
We currently have a large position in APPLE. We believe the company to be extremely undervalued. Spoke to Tim Cook today. More to come.—
Carl Icahn (@Carl_C_Icahn) August 13, 2013
Had a nice conversation with Tim Cook today. Discussed my opinion that a larger buyback should be done now. We plan to speak again shortly.—
Carl Icahn (@Carl_C_Icahn) August 13, 2013
Icahn’s comments suggest that he doesn’t believe the more commonly held thoughts that Apple’s period of innovation is over. It’s possible Cook has shared more details around new Apple products expected on September 10 — likely at least one new iPhone and possibly an iPad mini with retina display — or he provided information about Apple’s long-term technology roadmap. Either way, Icahn sees opportunity as an investor based on his company’s stock position in Apple.
Some of the conversation clearly dealt with Apple’s large and growing cash pile: What should it do with the tens of billions of dollars it has hoarded over the last several years? Icahn must have suggested a larger stock buyback than the current plan, but he didn’t — and really can’t — share what Cook’s thoughts are on the matter.
Regardless, Icahn may now have seen what the general public will see over the next few months: Can Apple continue to “wow” consumers with hit new products and services?
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