Investing.com -- Johnson Matthey (LON:JMAT), the UK-based clean air technologies and sustainable solutions provider, is facing mounting pressure from its largest investor, Standard Latitude Master Fund (Standard Investments), which has called for an overhaul and even a potential sale of the company.
Standard Investments, which holds an 11.01% stake in Johnson Matthey, criticized the company’s long-standing leadership and its inability to deliver on the growth and profitability that it had previously promised to shareholders.
In a public letter to Johnson Matthey's Chairman, Patrick Thomas, dated December 13, Standard Investments expressed frustration with the company's continued underperformance, particularly under the leadership of the current Chairman and CEO.
As per the investment firm, Johnson Matthey’s share price has dropped by over 50% since the current Chairman took charge six years ago, underperforming the FTSE 250 index.
Since the current CEO took office in 2022, the company has failed to demonstrate meaningful improvement, leaving investors increasingly disillusioned.
Standard Investments outlined several key concerns in its letter, notably the company’s poor financial management and its unprofitable ventures in growth businesses.
A major example cited was the company’s exit from its Battery Materials unit, a business that had absorbed £340 million in investments but was sold for only £50 million, resulting in a massive £363 million loss.
Similarly, the company's Hydrogen Technologies division, which has consumed £310 million in cash since FY22, continues to post operating losses with no clear path to profitability.
Standard Investments accused the Board of a lack of discipline in investment decisions, particularly in ventures that were supposed to offset the decline in core businesses but instead only led to further losses.
The letter also pointed to underperformance in Johnson Matthey's core Clean Air business, which, despite its technological leadership, continues to generate margins below industry peers.
From 2019 to 2023, Clean Air’s EBIT margins shrank to 8.7% from 14.4%, only recovering to 11% as of September 2024.
The company’s management has shown little urgency in addressing these issues, Standard Investments argued, with Clean Air’s margin improvement targets remaining unambitious.
Additionally, the investment firm criticized the company’s PGM Services division for being opaque and underperforming.
Despite being described by management as a "highly profitable and cash generative" business, PGMS has consumed over £1 billion of cash in working capital over the past three years, while earnings have failed to meet expectations.
Standard Investments emphasized the need for greater transparency and better management of cash flow across the business.
In response to these concerns, Standard Investments is calling for a complete overhaul of the company’s leadership.
The investor has urged the Board to bring in new, highly qualified independent directors with the expertise and urgency needed to address the company’s performance issues.
The current Board, according to Standard, has failed to act decisively in addressing the ongoing underperformance and is in need of fresh perspectives.
In addition to changes at the Board level, Standard Investments has recommended that Johnson Matthey take immediate steps to "de-risk or sell" its Hydrogen Technologies business, which it sees as having little future potential given the company’s poor track record in managing such ventures.
Standard also advocates for the launch of a formal review process, which could include exploring the sale of part or all of the company to maximize shareholder value.