March 18, 2026 10:54 AM, EDT
Elliott Investment Management LP has taken a “significant” stake in Japanese shipping company Mitsui OSK Lines Ltd., the activist investor said in a statement on March 18.
“Despite this strong market position and high-quality assets, the market materially undervalues the business,” Elliott said in the statement.
Reuters reported the purchase of the stake earlier, saying the activist investor had taken the holding in an effort to urge the Japanese firm to review its real estate portfolio. Mitsui OSK shares jumped following the news, rising as much as 12% in Tokyo.
A spokesperson for the shipping line declined to comment on its engagements with individual investors.
Activist investors have homed in on Japanese firms in recent years, driven by a broader push in the nation to give more attention to shareholder returns. Hedge funds have also adopted the strategy of focusing on property held by these corporations, which is assigned a value on their balance sheets based on original costs. If the real estate is sold, companies can record big profits from the difference between the cost and market value.
