Hindenburg Research

Hindenburg Research LLC is a U.S. investment research firm with a focus on activist short-selling founded by Nathan Anderson in 2017.[2][3][4] Named after the 1937 Hindenburg disaster, which they characterize as a human-made avoidable disaster,[5] the firm generates public reports via its website that allege corporate fraud and malfeasance.[6] Companies that have been the subjects of their reports include Adani Group, Nikola,[7] Clover Health,[8] Block, Inc.,[9] Kandi,[10] and Lordstown Motors.[11] These reports also feature defenses of the practice of short-selling and explanations of how short-sells can "play a critical role in exposing fraud and protecting investors."[12]

Hindenburg Research LLC
Hindenburg Research
TypePrivate
Founded2017 (2017)
FounderNathan Anderson
HeadquartersNew York City, United States
Number of employees
9 (2022)[1]
Websitehindenburgresearch.com Edit this on Wikidata

Operations

Hindenburg Research prepares an investigation report on a target company by going through its public records, internal corporate documents and by talking to its employees. The report is then circulated to Hindenburg's limited partners, who, together with Hindenburg, take a short position in the target company before publicly releasing the report. Hindenburg takes profits if the target company's share price declines.[13][14]

Notable research

Nikola report
Main article: Trevor Milton § Fraud allegations and trial

In September 2020, Hindenburg Research published a report on the Nikola Corporation that included allegations of the company being "an intricate fraud built on dozens of lies" and argued that its founder, Trevor Milton, was responsible for much of the fraudulent activities.[2] Following the release of the report, Nikola’s stock dropped by 40%[7] and a Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) inquiry was opened.[15] While Milton initially disputed the allegations,[15] he later resigned from his position as Executive Chairman[16] and was eventually found guilty of wire and securities fraud.[17] In November 2020, Nikola stated that they had "incurred significant expenses as a result of the regulatory and legal matters relating to the Hindenburg Report.”[2]

Clover Health report and Chamath Palihapitiya

Hindenburg released a report about Medicare Advantage plan Clover Health in February 2021, claiming that the company neglected to inform investors about it being under investigation by the Department of Justice. The report also argued that billionaire stock promoter and entrepreneur Chamath Palihapitiya neglected his due diligence and misled investors as he took the company public via special purpose acquisition company.[8] Hindenburg disclosed that it has no short or long positions in Clover.[18] Immediately following its publishing, Clover Health dismissed the accusations in the report and also stated it received a notice from the SEC.[19]

Adani Group report
See also: Adani Group § Stock manipulation and accounting fraud allegations

In January 2023, Hindenburg revealed that it had short positions in India's Adani Group and flagged debt and accounting concerns. Concurrently, Hindenburg released a report claiming that Indian conglomerate Adani Group "has engaged in a brazen stock manipulation and accounting fraud scheme over the course of decades."[20] Soon after the report's release, Adani Group companies experienced an acute decline in their share prices.[21][22][23] In a follow-up piece, The Guardian indicated that Hindenburg called on the Adani Group to sue if they believed the report was inaccurate.[24][25] By the end of February 2023, the group lost $150 billion in value. Gautam Adani's personal net worth came down as he fell from 3rd richest in the world to 30th richest within a month after the report was published.[26][27][28]

Adani Group responded by accusing Hindenburg Research of launching "a calculated attack" on India.[29] In response, Hindenburg Research released a statement saying that Adani had dodged key questions raised by the firm's report and instead resorted to threats. The firm stated they stand by their statement and dared Adani group to sue.[30]

Due to the allegations, American finance company MSCI cut the free-float status of four Adani firms and Moody's Investors Service downgraded the ratings outlook of four firms.[31] Credit Suisse Group AG stopped accepting bonds of Adani companies as collateral for margin loans to its private banking clients.[32]

Icahn Enterprises report

In May 2023, Hindenburg released a report on Icahn Enterprises, which fell over 50% in the month after Hindenburg disclosed a short position against it.[33] They classified the structure of Icahn Enterprises' dividend structure as 'ponzi-like', and noted Jefferies Group's research on Icahn Enterprises as being "one of the worst cases of sell-side research malpractice we’ve seen".[34]

Other activities

Hindenburg has also issued reports concerning the online betting operator DraftKings,[35] the geothermal power plants company Ormat Technologies,[36] electric car company Mullen Technologies,[37] and a Chinese blockchain and cryptomining firm named SOS[38]

In October 2021, Hindenburg announced a $1 million reward for information on how the Tether cryptocurrency is pegged to the U.S. dollar and for knowledge on Tether's deposits.[39] Hindenburg included that, at the time, they did not own positions in any cryptocurrency.[40]

In May 2022, Hindenburg took a short position in Twitter, Inc. following the announcement of its acquisition of Twitter by Elon Musk. After Musk's attempted termination of the deal, Hindenburg took a significant long position on Twitter, betting against Musk on the acquisition to close.[3]

On March 23, 2023, Hindenburg released a report on Block, alleging overstated user counts, accounts being used for illegal activities, a potential investigation from the SEC, and failing to ban fraudsters from its platform.[41] This led to a 22% drop in the company's shares before a partial recovery later in the day.[42]

In June 2023, Hindenburg released a report on Dozy Mmobuosi's Tingo Group, where they accused the company of vast amounts of fraud, including misrepresentation of the founder's educational credentials and the existence of many aspects of the business. The report questioned the legitimacy of the company's financial reports and alleged that many of Tingo's claimed partners were not in fact partnered with Tingo.[43] NASDAQ-listed shares in Tingo Group plunged in value after the report.[44][45] The company denied the Hindenburg claims, which it said contained "errors of fact" and "misleading and libellous content",[46] and appointed lawyers White & Case to review the claims.[47]

In August 2023, Hindenburg released a report on Freedom Finance.

See also

References
  1. Warner, Bernhard (22 October 2022). "An Activist Short Seller Gets His Day in Court". The New York Times.
  2. Warner, Bernhard (3 December 2020). "Little Big Shorts: How tiny 'activist' firms became sheriffs in the stock market's Wild West". Fortune. Retrieved 2021-02-07.
  3. Mandl, Carolina (27 January 2023). "Explainer: Who is behind Hindenburg, the company that is shorting Adani?". Reuters.
  4. Ludlow, Edward; Burton, Katherine (26 January 2023). "Hindenburg vs Adani: The Short Seller Taking on Asia's Richest Person". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
  5. "About us". hindenburgresearch.com. 19 October 2018. Retrieved 25 March 2021. We view the Hindenburg as the epitome of a man-made, totally avoidable disaster. Almost 100 people were loaded onto a balloon filled with the most flammable element in the universe. This was despite dozens of earlier hydrogen-based aircraft meeting with similar fates.
  6. "'They'd Find company, company, company.'". Institutional Investor. Retrieved 2021-02-07.
  7. "Short seller Hindenburg Research renews attack on Nikola (Update)". FreightWaves. 2020-09-15. Retrieved 2021-02-07.
  8. "Hindenburg Research Goes After 'Wall Street Celebrity Promoter' Chamath Palihapitiya". Institutional Investor. Retrieved 2021-02-07.
  9. Michael J. de la Merced (23 March 2023). "Short Seller Accuses Jack Dorsey's Block of Facilitating Fraud". The New York Times.
  10. GmbH, finanzen net. "Chinese automaker Kandi plunges nearly 30% after short-seller Hindenburg accused it of fabricating sales to raise $160 million from US investors". markets.businessinsider.com. Retrieved 2021-02-07.
  11. "Lordstown Motors' shares slump after Hindenburg takes short position". www.reuters.com. 2021-03-12. Retrieved 2021-03-12.
  12. "Hindenburg Research Launches Defense of Short Selling". Morning Brew. Retrieved 2021-02-07.
  13. Rice, Andrew (2022-01-20). "The Money Game | Last Sane Man on Wall Street". Intelligencer. Retrieved 2023-01-25.
  14. Goldstein, Matthew; Kelly, Kate (16 August 2021). "A Skeptical Stock Analyst Wins Big by Seeking Out Frauds". The New York Times. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
  15. Smith, Howard (2020-11-10). "Nikola Reveals SEC and Justice Department Subpoenas in September". The Motley Fool. Retrieved 2021-02-07.
  16. Boudette, Neal E.; Ewing, Jack (2020-09-21). "Head of Nikola, a G.M. Electric Truck Partner, Quits Amid Fraud Claims". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-02-07.
  17. Rosevear, John. "Nikola founder Trevor Milton found guilty of fraud over statements he made while CEO of the EV company". CNBC. Retrieved 2022-10-14.
  18. Feiner, Lauren (2021-02-04). "Palihapitiya-backed Clover Health shares fall on critical report by short seller Hindenburg Research". CNBC. Retrieved 2021-02-07.
  19. Kovach, Steve (2021-02-05). "Chamath Palihapitiya-backed Clover Health gets notice of SEC investigation". CNBC. Retrieved 2021-02-07.
  20. Hindenburg Research (24 January 2023). "Adani Group: how the world's 3rd richest man is pulling the largest con in corporate history". Hindenburg Research. New York, USA. Retrieved 2023-01-27.
  21. Thomas, Chris; Kalra, Aditya (25 January 2023). "Hindenburg shorts India's Adani citing debt, accounting concerns; shares plunge". Reuters. Retrieved 25 January 2023.
  22. Sorkin, Andrew Ross; Mattu, Ravi; Warner, Bernhard; Kessler, Sarah; Merced, Michael J. de la; Hirsch, Lauren; Livni, Ephrat (25 January 2023). "A Short Seller Takes Aim at an Indian Corporate Giant". The New York Times. Retrieved 25 January 2023.
  23. Lockett, Hudson (25 January 2023). "Adani shares take $10.8bn hit after Hindenburg bets against group". Financial Times. Retrieved 25 January 2023.
  24. Neate, Rupert (25 January 2023). "Adani Group firms lose $9bn in value amid short-seller claims". The Guardian. London, United Kingdom. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-01-27.
  25. Barrett, Jonathan (27 January 2023). "US activist investor who accused Adani of 'biggest con in corporate history' dares Indian group to sue". The Guardian. London, United Kingdom. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-01-27.
  26. Morrow, Allison (2023-01-30). "Why a tiny American firm is taking aim at an Indian conglomerate". CNN. Retrieved 2023-05-31.
  27. Sorkin, Andrew Ross; Mattu, Ravi; Warner, Bernhard; Kessler, Sarah; de la Merced, Michael J.; Hirsch, Lauren; Livni, Ephrat (2023-01-25). "A Short Seller Takes Aim at an Indian Corporate Giant". The New York Times. Retrieved 2023-05-31.
  28. "India's Enron Moment? Gautam Adani slips to No. 30, group stocks lose ₹12 lakh crore in 1 month". The Hindu. PTI. 2023-02-26. Retrieved 2023-05-31.
  29. Barrett, Jonathan (2023-01-30). "Adani claims US investment firm's fraud allegations are an 'attack on India'". The Guardian. Retrieved 2023-05-31.
  30. Barrett, Jonathan (2023-01-27). "US activist investor who accused Adani of 'biggest con in corporate history' dares Indian group to sue". The Guardian. Retrieved 2023-05-31.
  31. Staff, The Wire (2023-02-11). "Moody's Downgrades Ratings Outlook of Four Adani Group Firms". The Wire. Retrieved 2023-05-31.
  32. "Hindenburg report impact. Credit Suisse's wealth unit halts margin loans on Adani debt". Business Line. 2023-02-01. Retrieved 2023-05-31.
  33. "Icahn Enterprises L.P. (IEP) Stock Price, News, Quote & History - Yahoo Finance". finance.yahoo.com. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
  34. Lipschultz, Bailey (2 May 2023). "Icahn Enterprises' Plunge Just One of Short-Seller Hindenburg's Many Big Hits". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
  35. Pound, Jesse (2021-06-15). "DraftKings stock falls after Hindenburg Research reveals short position". CNBC. Retrieved 2021-06-21.
  36. "Ormat shares drop after short-seller Hindenburg attacks energy company". Reuters. 2021-03-01. Retrieved 2021-03-02.
  37. "MULN stock falls further after negative Hindenburg report". FXStreet. Retrieved 2022-04-27.
  38. "Short-sellers take aim at Chinese blockchain firm SOS, shares tumble". Yahoo Finance. Retrieved 2021-03-02.
  39. Venkataramakrishnan, Siddharth; Oliver, Joshua; Smith, Robert (2021-10-20). "Short-seller Hindenburg sets $1m 'bounty' for details on Tether's reserves". Financial Times. Retrieved 2021-10-20.
  40. "Hindenburg Research Announces $1,000,000 Bounty For Details On Tether's Backing". 2021-10-19.
  41. "Block: How Inflated User Metrics and "Frictionless" Fraud Facilitation Enabled Insiders To Cash Out Over $1 Billion". Hindenburg Research. 2023-03-23. Retrieved 2023-03-23.
  42. Goswami, Rohan; Sigalos, MacKenzie (2023-03-23). "Block shares plunge 19% after short seller Hindenburg says Jack Dorsey's company facilitates fraud". CNBC. Retrieved 2023-03-23.
  43. "Tingo Group: Fake Farmers, Phones, and Financials—The Nigerian Empire That Isn't". Hindenburg Research. 6 June 2023.
  44. Quinio, Akila; Adeoye, Aanu; Kerr, Simeon (6 June 2023). "Shares in fintech Tingo slump after Hindenburg takes short position". Financial Times. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  45. "Tingo Group, Inc. (TIO) Stock Price, News, Quote & History - Yahoo Finance". finance.yahoo.com. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
  46. Whitehouse, David (12 June 2023). "Nasdaq-listed Tingo denies 'scam' claims from short-seller Hindenburg Research". Africa Report. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  47. "Tingo Group Engages Independent Counsel to Conduct Review of Assertions Made in Short-Seller Report". Yahoo Finance. 8 June 2023. Retrieved 24 July 2023.

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