Reported Icahn stake in Dollar Tree a positive development, says Loop Capital. Loop Capital analyst Anthony Chukumba views the New York Post's report of Carl Icahn taking a "significant" stake in Dollar Tree (DLTR) as "unsurprising" and a "positive development." Icahn previously acquired a stake in Family Dollar, pressured management to seek a buyer, and reportedly made a $200M profit on his investment when the company was acquired by Dollar Tree in 2015 for $8.5B, Chukumba tells investors in a research note. The analyst believes it was just a matter of time before an activist became involved given the Family Dollar segment's continued struggles while the core Dollar Tree segment "remains one of the best performers in deep discount retailing." He thinks Icahn is likely to pressure Dollar Tree management to quickly improve the performance of Family Dollar significantly or sell the division. There would be several interested parties if Dollar Tree put Family Dollar on the block, including Dollar General (DG), Amazon.com (AMZN) and private equity firms, Chukumba predicts. He reiterates a Buy rating on Dollar Tree shares with a $107 price target. The stock in afternoon trading is up 6.5%, or $5.23, to $86.20 following the New York Post's report.
