La lettre annuelle aux actionnaires pour 2020 a été publiée.
John Elkann revient sur la vente avortée de PartnerRe à Covéa; et reflète bien la grande discipline d’Exor dans sa gestion:
As I noted in last year’s letter, we had not planned to sell PartnerRe when Covéa originally approached us as we believe the company has strong future potential. This is even more the case today given the improvement in the pricing environment for reinsurance, which will translate into an increase in book value over time if our underwriting is effective. Therefore, even though Covéa remained willing, after the start of the pandemic, to acquire PartnerRe, we felt that their revised price did not properly reflect the company’s true value and its bright prospects.
Il parle aussi des derniers développements avec la fusion entre Fiat Chrysler et Peugeot, ou chez CNH Industrial; mais surtout sur son intérêt pour le secteur du luxe et l’investissement dans Shang Xia:
Over the years, we have developed considerable knowledge about the luxury sector and our ownership of Ferrari has allowed us to understand better the art of building luxury brands. This sector is characterised by strong economics and durability. In 2020, it proved its strength and resilience and it is benefiting from strong market growth, particularly in China. We believe that both our luxury experience and our long-term horizon makes us the ideal partner to support SHANG XIA in its journey to greatness.
Je crois que c’est également la première fois qu’il parle d’Exor Seeds dans ses lettres, et l’avantage qu’Exor peut apporter aux entreprises concernées:
Since its inception, we have invested ~$250 million in 42 companies across the globe. Our permanent capital, global reach and public markets insight (both as investors and as operators) also give us an edge over traditional VC funds in an increasingly competitive market. We are particularly excited about the expanding opportunities in mobility, fintech and healthcare. These sectors are undergoing massive structural shifts that we believe will create new, large category winners. We are also seeing European tech “coming of age” with large public companies like Adyen and Spotify fostering a deep talent ecosystem. Two of our largest investments in 2021, for example, are building European champions in real estate tech and healthcare. The establishment of Exor Seeds has, therefore, not only given us a seat at the table but more importantly, is connecting Exor and its companies with young and talented founders who share our purpose and values.
Un mot sur la gestion du capital investi de PartnerRe et Exor (principalement investi dans Ocado et des minières; avec plus récemment une position dans Rolls-Royce Holdings), avec une performance assez impressionnante:
In the four years since inception, the portfolio has delivered a cumulative gross return of 174.4% in USD or 28.5% annualized (with no down years thanks to hedging activity). In comparison, the performance of the MSCI World Total Return index over the same period was 64.3% or 13.1% annualized (with negative returns in 2018).
Je suis de plus en plus fan d’Exor, qui se diversifie doucement mais sûrement dans le luxe (Shang Xia, Christian Louboutin) et qui a également monté en toute discrétion une branche de Venture Capital avec Exor Seeds. C’est vraiment un conglomérat extrèmement intéressant, qui s’éloigne comme prévu des activités cycliques de l’automobile (même s’ils parviennent à créer énormément de valeur dans ce domaine!), et qui cote toujours ~30%-35% sous sa NAV.