Carl Icahn Updates: Threat to Apple Inc. (AAPL), Involvement in J.C. Penney Company, Inc. (JCP), Tweets & More

Editor’s Note: Icahn Enterprises LP (NASDAQ:IEP), J.C. Penney Company, Inc. (NYSE:JCP), Herbalife Ltd. (NYSE:HLF), Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), Dell Inc. (NASDAQ:DELL)

Carl Icahn Is No Threat to Apple (DailyFinance)
Earlier this month, legendary corporate raider Carl Icahn announced via Twitter that he owned a stake in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL). This is the second time this year that Icahn has shaken up the tech world, following his activist investment in troubled PC maker Dell Inc. (NASDAQ:DELL). In the case of Dell, many investors have viewed Icahn as a savior, believing that he is the only one who can stop company founder Michael Dell from “stealing” the company in a management buyout. By contrast, a number of investors have fretted that Icahn poses a big threat to Apple. They worry that his demands for a large stock buyback will cause Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) to fall behind rivals on the innovation curve.

Hedge Fund Strategies

Carl Icahn Not Involved in J.C. Penney (JCP) Trade – CNBC (StreetInsider.com)
CNBC’s Scott Wapner reports that Carl Ichan does not own J.C. Penney Company, Inc. (NYSE:JCP) shares, as some rumors have suggested recently. “We can put that rumor to rest,” he said. The rumors of Icahn’s involvement in J.C. Penney relates to his success in the reverse-Ackman trade in Herbalife Ltd. (NYSE:HLF) – where he is long and Ackman short. With Ackman selling J.C. Penney Company, Inc. (NYSE:JCP), some said Icahn could be buying.

Carl Icahn Scoops His Own Tweets on His Fund’s Returns (Wall Street Journal)
Carl Icahn is taking tweeting disclosures to a new level. The activist investor has been tweeting and then putting the tweets in securities filings with the SEC since late June. But Tuesday, his firm, Icahn Enterprises, filed the securities document before the tweets were actually released. That may be because the latest tweets again broke a bit of news, this time news that would be important to any investors in Icahn Enterprises.

Icahn Bondholders Charge Premium After Gains: Corporate Finance (Businessweek)
Even as bondholders of Carl Icahn’s investing company enjoy market-beating gains, they’re demanding extra yield on new notes to compensate for risk in the maverick investing style of the world’s 35th-richest person. Icahn Enterprises LP (NASDAQ:IEP) notes have returned 32 percent since Aug. 26, 2010, compared with 22 percent for bonds whose ratings are split between the lowest investment and highest junk grades. The New York-based company sold $500 million of 6 percent bonds last month that yielded 399 basis points more than similar-maturity Treasuries, according to data compiled by Bloomberg, compared with a spread of 274 for debt in the Bank of America Merrill Lynch Crossover Corporate index.

Top three trades (CNBC.com)