Activist Investor, Following Whole Foods Playbook, to Push for Changes at Pinnacle Foods

By Maria Armental

Jana Partners LLC has amassed a large stake in Pinnacle Foods Inc. and lined up possible board nominees in a push to make changes at the food company.

Jana has been accumulating a stake in Pinnacle for several quarters, as investors and analysts speculated whether Pinnacle would consider a sale to a larger packaged-food rival.

The activist investor's move largely mirrors actions it took last year when it pushed for changes at Whole Foods Market before its sale to Amazon.com Inc.

Pinnacle shares, which lag the market with a 6% decline this year, rose 7.8% to $59.50 in after-hours trading.

Jana disclosed a 9.1% "active" stake in Pinnacle in a securities filing Thursday and said it intended to reach the company's board and management to discuss actions to improve operations and lower costs. The investor said it would also push Pinnacle to explore "a sale or other consolidation opportunities" as a result of its scale in the frozen-foods sector.

As in the Whole Foods case, Jana is working with Glenn Murphy, who led the turnaround of Gap Inc. as the retailer's chief executive, and Diane Dietz, the former marketing officer of Safeway Inc.

A representative for Pinnacle couldn't be immediately reached for comment.

The investor is also working with James Lawrence, who had partnered with Jana in its investment in ConAgra Foods Inc., now called Conagra Brands Inc.

Pinnacle Foods, which owns well-known brands like Birds Eye frozen vegetables and Vlasic pickles, has been seen as a candidate for a deal for years.

In 2014, Pinnacle was nearly bought by Hillshire Brands Co., but Tyson Foods Inc. swooped in and bought Hillshire, canceling the Pinnacle deal.

Annie Gasparro contributed to this article.

Write to Maria Armental at maria.armental@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

April 19, 2018 18:26 ET (22:26 GMT)

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