Shake Shack adds 4% after activist investor report; analysts flag lack of visibility

© Reuters.

Activist investor Engaged Capital is planning to run a proxy fight at Shake Shack (NYSE:SHAK), according to the Wall Street Journal.

The hedge fund, which reportedly has a 6.6% stake, is seeking three board seats and has been in talks with the company’s management for over six months. Most notably, the activist investor sent a letter to Shake Shack in March, laying out its proposal for new directors and other changes to support the stock.

SHAK shares are up 57% year-to-date. The stock is up almost 4% in premarket Monday.

“We are executing our strategic plan and making substantial operational and financial progress,” a spokesman for Shake Shack said in a statement, according to WSJ.

“We are well positioned to continue enhancing value for shareholders.”

Following the WSJ article, Quo Vadis Capital analysts removed SHAK shares from the Sell list, citing activist involvement.

The analysts remind investors that the company took a different approach at last week’s earnings call and guided to “higher margins at the restaurant level, leverage on G&A, gave an 'adjusted' EBITDA target for the first time, and exuded confidence in the direction of the business.”

“We now understand these forecasts to be more at risk, as they were clearly prompted by a need to stand up to the activist rather than any real change in visibility,” they said in a note.

The analysts told clients to wait for a better entry point or until the company shares more info on strategy going forward.