SC 13D
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES & EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
SCHEDULE 13D
Under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Twin Disc, Incorporated
(Name of Issuer)
Common Stock, No Par Value
(Title of Class of Securities)
901476101
(CUSIP Number)
Ephraim Fields, Managing Member
Clarus Capital Group Management LP
237 Park Ave., Suite 900
New York, NY 10017
(212)-808-7330
(Name, address and Telephone Number of Person Authorized to Receive Notices
and Communications)
September 10, 2007
(Date of Event which Requires Filing of this Statement)
If the filing person has previously filed a statement on Schedule 13G to report
the acquisition which is the subject of this Schedule 13D, and is filing this
schedule because of Rule 13d-1(b)(3) or (4), check the following box [ ].
*The remainder of this cover page shall be filled out for a reporting persons initial filing on
this form with respect to the subject class of securities, and for any subsequent amendment
containing information which would alter disclosures provided in a prior cover page.
The information required on the remained of this cover page shall not be
deemed to be filed for the purpose of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (Act)
or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that section of the Act but shall be subject to all
other provisions of the Act (however, see the Notes).
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CUSIP No. |
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901476101 |
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2 |
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of |
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8 |
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1 |
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NAMES OF REPORTING PERSONS
CLARUS CAPITAL GROUP MANAGEMENT LP I.R.S. IDENTIFICATION NO. OF ABOVE PERSON (ENTITIES ONLY) 20-8098367 |
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CHECK THE APPROPRIATE BOX IF A MEMBER OF A GROUP (SEE INSTRUCTIONS)
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(a) o |
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(b) o |
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3 |
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SEC USE ONLY |
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SOURCE OF FUNDS (SEE INSTRUCTIONS) |
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WC |
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CHECK IF DISCLOSURE OF LEGAL PROCEEDINGS IS REQUIRED PURSUANT TO ITEMS 2(d) OR 2(e) |
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6 |
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CITIZENSHIP OR PLACE OF ORGANIZATION |
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DELAWARE
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7 |
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SOLE VOTING POWER |
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NUMBER OF |
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242,834 |
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SHARES |
8 |
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SHARED VOTING POWER |
BENEFICIALLY |
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OWNED BY |
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55,272 |
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EACH |
9 |
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SOLE DISPOSITIVE POWER |
REPORTING |
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PERSON |
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298,106 |
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WITH |
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SHARED DISPOSITIVE POWER |
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11 |
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AGGREGATE AMOUNT BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY EACH REPORTING PERSON |
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298,106 |
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12 |
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CHECK IF THE AGGREGATE AMOUNT IN ROW (11) EXCLUDES CERTAIN SHARES (SEE INSTRUCTIONS) |
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13 |
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PERCENT OF CLASS REPRESENTED BY AMOUNT IN ROW (11) |
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5.1% |
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14 |
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TYPE OF REPORTING PERSON (SEE INSTRUCTIONS) |
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IA, PN |
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CUSIP No. |
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901476101 |
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NAMES OF REPORTING PERSONS
EPHRAIM FIELDS |
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2 |
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CHECK THE APPROPRIATE BOX IF A MEMBER OF A GROUP (SEE INSTRUCTIONS)
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(a) o |
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(b) o |
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SEC USE ONLY |
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4 |
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SOURCE OF FUNDS (SEE INSTRUCTIONS) |
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WC |
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CHECK IF DISCLOSURE OF LEGAL PROCEEDINGS IS REQUIRED PURSUANT TO ITEMS 2(d) OR 2(e) |
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CITIZENSHIP OR PLACE OF ORGANIZATION |
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UNITED STATES
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7 |
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SOLE VOTING POWER |
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NUMBER OF |
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242,834 (1) |
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SHARES |
8 |
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SHARED VOTING POWER |
BENEFICIALLY |
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OWNED BY |
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55,272 |
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EACH |
9 |
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SOLE DISPOSITIVE POWER |
REPORTING |
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PERSON |
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298,106 (1) |
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WITH |
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SHARED DISPOSITIVE POWER |
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11 |
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AGGREGATE AMOUNT BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY EACH REPORTING PERSON |
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298,106 (1) |
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12 |
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CHECK IF THE AGGREGATE AMOUNT IN ROW (11) EXCLUDES CERTAIN SHARES (SEE INSTRUCTIONS) |
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PERCENT OF CLASS REPRESENTED BY AMOUNT IN ROW (11) |
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5.1% |
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14 |
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TYPE OF REPORTING PERSON (SEE INSTRUCTIONS) |
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IN |
(1) The general partner to Clarus Capital Group Management LP is Clarus Capital Management, LLC. Ephraim Fields is the managing member of Clarus Capital Management, LLC and as such controls Clarus Capital Group Management LP. As such, Mr. Fields may be deemed to have beneficial ownership of the 298,106 shares of Common Stock held by the clients of Clarus Capital Group Management LP.
ITEM 1. SECURITY AND ISSUER
This statement on Schedule 13D (Statement) relates to the common stock,
no par value (Common Stock), of Twin Disc Incorporated, a Wisconsin corporation (the Issuer).
The principal executive offices of the Issuer are located at 1328 Racine Street, Racine, Wisconsin
53403.
ITEM 2. IDENTITY AND BACKGROUND
(a) - (c) AND (f). This Statement is filed by Clarus Capital Group Management LP, a
Delaware limited partnership (Clarus) and Ephraim Fields
(together, the Reporting Persons).
Clarus is a private investment management firm which invests in publicly
traded U.S. equity securities. The general partner to Clarus Capital Group Management LP is Clarus
Capital Management, LLC. Ephraim Fields is the managing member of Clarus Capital Management, LLC
and as such controls Clarus Capital Group Management LP. Mr. Fields is engaged principally in the
business of
serving as the sole managing member of Clarus and an affiliate, Clarus Capital
Advisors, LLC. Mr. Fields is a citizen of the United States of America.
The principal business address of each of the Reporting Persons is 237 Park
Ave., Suite 900, New York, NY 10017.
(d) - (e). None of the Reporting Persons during the last five years has
been convicted in a criminal proceeding (excluding traffic violations and
similar misdemeanors) or was party to a civil proceeding of a judicial or
administrative body of competent jurisdiction as a result of which any such
person was or is subject to a judgment, decree or final order enjoining future
violations of, or prohibiting or mandating activities subject to, federal or
state securities laws or finding any violation with respect to such laws.
ITEM 3. SOURCE AND AMOUNT OF FUNDS OR OTHER CONSIDERATION
The aggregate purchase price of the 298,106 shares of Common Stock owned by
the Reporting Persons is approximately $7,349,000 including brokerage commissions. The shares of
Common Stock owned by the Reporting Persons were acquired with the working capital of Clarus.
ITEM 4. PURPOSE OF TRANSACTION
The Reporting Persons purchased the shares of Common Stock based on the
Reporting Persons belief that the shares of Common Stock are undervalued and
represented an attractive investment opportunity. Clarus reserves the right,
consistent with applicable law, to acquire or dispose of additional securities
of the Issuer (whether through open market purchases, block trades, private
acquisitions, tender or exchange offers or otherwise). Clarus intends to review
its investment in the Issuer on a continuing basis and may engage in discussions
with management or the Board of Directors of the Issuer concerning the business,
operations and future plans of the Issuer. Depending on various factors,
including, without limitation, the Issuers financial position and investment
strategy, the price levels of the Common Stock, conditions in the securities
markets and general economic and industry conditions, Clarus may in the future
take such actions with respect to its investment in the Issuer as it deems
appropriate including, without limitation, seeking Board
representation, making proposals to the Issuer concerning the capitalization and operations of the
Issuer, engaging in short selling of or any hedging or similar transaction with
respect to the Common Stock, or changing its intention partially or entirely
with respect to any and all matters referred to in Item 4.
On June 12, 2007, Clarus sent a letter to the Board of Directors of the Issuer which set forth
Clarus belief that the Issuers Common Stock is undervalued and suggested ways of enhancing
shareholder value. On September 10, 2007, Clarus wrote another letter to the Board of Directors
and requested that the Board of Directors immediately retain a prominent investment bank to explore
various alternatives for enhancing shareholder value, including a more aggressive stock buyback
(which would be highly accretive) and the outright sale of all or part of the Company (the Board
Letters). The Reporting Persons hope that the Board Letters will start an ongoing dialogue with
the Issuer. Depending on the outcome of these discussions, the Reporting Persons may modify their
intent. The summary set forth herein of the Board Letters do not purport to be a complete
description thereof and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full documents as filed as
Exhibits to this Statement.
Although the foregoing represents the range of activities presently
contemplated by the Reporting Persons with respect to the Issuer, it should be
noted that the possible activities of the Reporting Persons are subject to
change at any time. Except as set forth above, none of the Reporting Persons has
any present plans or proposals which relate to or would result in any of the
actions described in subparagraphs (a) through (j) of Item 4 of Schedule 13D.
ITEM 5. INTEREST IN SECURITIES OF THE ISSUER.
The percentages set forth in this Item 5 are based on the Form 10-Q filed
by the Issuer on May 9, 2007, which stated that as of April 30, 2007, there were 5,849,088 shares
of Common Stock outstanding.
(a) As of the close of business on September 10, 2007, the Reporting Persons directly own
298,106 shares of Common Stock representing approximately 5.1% of the outstanding Common Stock. As
of September 10, 2007, the date requiring the filing of this Schedule 13D, the Reporting Persons
directly owned 298,106 shares of Common Stock representing approximately 5.1% of the outstanding
Common Stock.
(b) The Reporting Persons have the sole power to vote and dispose of
242,834 shares of Common Stock and shared power to vote and dispose of 55,272 shares of Common
Stock. Mr. Fields is the sole managing principal and indirectly the 100% owner of Clarus.
(c) See Appendix A for a list of transactions occurring in the last sixty
days.
(d) Not applicable.
(e) Not applicable.
ITEM 6.
CONTRACTS, ARRANGEMENTS, UNDERSTANDINGS OR RELATIONSHIPS WITH RESPECT TO SECURITIES OF THE ISSUER.
Other than as described in Item 4 herein, there are no contracts,
arrangements, understandings or relationships among the Reporting
Persons, or between the Reporting Persons and any other person, with respect to the
securities of the Issuer.
ITEM 7. MATERIAL TO BE FILED AS EXHIBITS.
Exhibit A: Letter to the Issuer, dated as of September 10, 2007
Exhibit B: Letter to the Issuer, dated as of June 12, 2007
SIGNATURES
After reasonable inquiry and to the best of its knowledge and
belief, the undersigned certifies that the information set forth in this
statement is true, complete and correct.
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Dated: September 10, 2007 |
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CLARUS CAPITAL GROUP MANAGEMENT LP |
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By: |
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/s/ Ephraim Fields |
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Name:
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Ephraim Fields |
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Title:
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Managing Member |
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EPHRAIM FIELDS |
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By: |
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/s/ Ephraim Fields |
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APPENDIX A
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Transaction Date |
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Number of Shares Bought |
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Average Price Paid |
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07/27/07 |
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9169 |
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62.5879 |
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07/31/07 |
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4000 |
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56.8378 |
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08/07/07 |
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3240 |
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48.4734 |
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08/13/07 |
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2000 |
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52.6500 |
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EX-99.A
EXHIBIT A
September 10, 2007
Board of Directors
Twin Disc, Inc.
1328 Racine St.
Racine, WI 53403
To the Board of Directors:
Clarus Capital Group Management LP beneficially owns 298,106 shares of Twin Disc, Inc. (Twin or
the Company). We have been patient and long-standing shareholders and while we typically do not
publicly file such letters, our concerns are so serious that we felt compelled to do so.
Specifically, we are concerned that Twins Board of Directors (the Board) is not fulfilling its
fiduciary responsibility of maximizing shareholder value. We note that despite its healthy balance
sheet (net debt/adjusted LTM EBITDA = 0.5x), improving business prospects (particularly in the
oilfield, military and mega-yacht markets), significant international presence, and leading market
share positions, Twin (which generated adjusted earnings per share of almost $4 over the past
twelve months) continues to trade at a valuation significantly below those of its peers. Twin has
remained undervalued for some time and we have repeatedly advised Twins management and Board on
how to close this valuation gap. Despite the inordinate amount of time we have spent trying to
help the Company (including, but not limited to, the attached letter from June 12, 2007), the
Boards response has been slow, limited and insufficient.
We are puzzled by your lack of action and wonder if the Board is truly interested in enhancing
shareholder value. We note that Twins independent board members personally own very little Twin
stock, despite their years of being paid by Twin shareholders to serve on the Board. Based on
Twins latest proxy, it appears that Mssrs. Mellowes, Rayburn, Stratton, Swift and Zimmer, each own
only 1,200 shares of stock (excluding options), despite each being board members for an average of
8 years. These board members therefore have little financial incentive to maximize shareholder
value. This lack of financial incentive, combined with the Boards apparent reluctance to
proactively address basic public company issues, makes us question if the Board is truly acting in
shareholders best interests. Our concern about the Boards lack of motivation to enhance
shareholder value was further heightened by the Boards recent decision to vote itself a 40% cash
pay raise and then not even buy a single share of Twins stock (despite the stock being down almost
40% from its recent high).
For some time we have been concerned that Twin is a publicly traded company that is largely run as
a privately held company. After all, Twin has an overcapitalized and suboptimal balance sheet, an
illiquid stock, no sell-side equity analyst coverage, and an unresponsive Board. However, Twin is
owned by its public shareholders and the company should be operated with their best interests in
mind. Given the stocks continued undervaluation, we hereby ask the Board to retain a
prominent investment bank to explore various alternatives
for enhancing shareholder value, including a more aggressive stock buyback (which would be
highly accretive) and the outright sale of all or part of the Company. We believe the Board
may currently (and belatedly) be getting advise from outside advisors regarding certain issues;
however, we believe it would be a clear violation of its fiduciary responsibilities if the Board
did not also seek advise regarding whether shareholders would best be served by an outright sale of
all or part of Twin. We have analyzed Twin extensively and believe its shareholders would best be
served through the outright sale of the company. Furthermore, we believe there are strategic and
financial buyers who would be interested in acquiring the company at a significant premium to its
current stock price.
We have been patient, long term and constructive shareholders of Twin; however, we find the Boards
apparent disregard for shareholder value to be irresponsible and shameful. Twins shareholders
deserve better from their leaders. If you are unable or unwilling to fulfill your fiduciary
responsibilities to enhance shareholder value, we will take the steps necessary to protect and
enhance the value of our investment in Twin.
Sincerely,
Ephraim Fields
Clarus Capital Group Management LP
EX-99.B
EXHIBIT B
June 12, 2007
Board of Directors
Twin Disc, Inc.
1328 Racine St.
Racine, WI 53403
To the Board of Directors:
As of March 31, 2007 Clarus Capital Group Management LP beneficially owned over 370,000 common
shares of Twin Disc, Inc. (TWIN) and we believe we are the companys second largest shareholder.
We have been investors in the company for over three years and commend TWINs management for the
companys dramatic operational improvements. However, despite the stocks recent strength, we
believe TWINs stock remains significantly undervalued and that you should consider several
initiatives which would easily create additional shareholder value, without jeopardizing the
companys long-term objectives. On multiple occasions we have expressed these suggestions to
management, but our suggestions have in general been (politely) rejected. As a result, we felt it
was appropriate to bring our concerns to the companys Board of Directors (the Board).
The basis of our frustration is our belief that TWIN is a publicly traded company that in many ways
operates like a privately held company. Consequently, the company does a major disservice to its
shareholders (the true owners of the company) by not making itself investor friendly and by failing
to utilize an appropriate capital structure.
Our concern that the company is not investor friendly is based on the fact that despite its $375
million market capitalization, TWIN is a highly illiquid stock with no analyst coverage. TWINs
management does not hold earnings calls and rarely visits investors or participates in conferences.
TWIN is an amazing company with bright prospects and a strong management team. We fail to
understand why management wants to keep this a secret.
Our concern about TWINs balance sheet is that the company is inappropriately capitalized since the
company utilizes very little debt. As a result, shareholders fail to benefit from the tax
advantages and increased ROE that a prudent and appropriate level of debt would provide.
In order to address the above problems, we strongly encourage the company to:
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Implement a stock split, which would increase the stocks liquidity. There are many
institutions who like to buy TWINs stock, but can not due to its illiquidity. A split
would also address the significant (and needless) volatility in TWINs stock price which
scares away many investors. We see no downside to implementing a stock split and frankly
were gravely disappointed that a split was not approved at the last Board meeting. |
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Proactively seek quality analyst coverage to help increase TWINs awareness in the
investment community. We have introduced the company to several research firms (B. Riley,
CJS Securities and CRT) but to date management appears unwilling to embrace the concept of
analyst coverage. This is shocking because most publicly traded companies are starving for
research coverage, with some even going so far as to pay for it. We believe managements
reluctance to embrace analyst coverage is based on its: (a) concern that it would have to
divulge confidential or proprietary information such as profitability by segments and (b)
reluctance to conduct investor meetings arranged by the research firms. If true, both of
these excuses are naïve and completely unacceptable. First of all, TWIN would never have
to divulge proprietary information to a research firm nor would TWIN have to provide
earnings guidance. Regarding managements reluctance to travel to meet with investors, we
believe management must be reminded that part of its responsibility as a publicly traded
company is to visit existing and potential investors. While we dont want investor
relations to distract management from running its business, there is a happy medium that
all public companies must find between operating their business and communicating with the
investment community. |
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Begin conducting quarterly earnings calls, which is common practice for most companies
of TWINs size. Even if participation in these calls is low initially, holding these calls
will send the appropriate message that management is willing to communicate with the
investment community. |
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Increase the companys utilization of debt. As TWINs second largest shareholder, we
would never want the company to be overleveraged. However, given the companys current
capitalization, we believe the company could easily utilize additional debt without
jeopardizing its ability to finance acquisitions, expand capacity or weather a downturn in
its business. We dont how (or even if) the Board assesses TWINs capital structure, but
we note that TWINs various leverage ratios are very low and given the company strong
outlook, we expect these already very healthy ratios to improve in coming quarters. TWIN
has been and remains one of the least leveraged companies among its peers. Consequently,
TWIN has one of the lowest ROEs and least tax efficient capital structures. We feel very
strongly about this suggestion and can not think of a justifiable explanation as to why
TWINs capital structure continues to be so inappropriate. We would consider the Boards
failure to address this situation to be a gross dereliction of its fiduciary
responsibility. We would strongly encourage you to seek the advice of a prominent
investment bank to help determine what the appropriate capital structure for TWIN should
be. |
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Significantly increase the quarterly cash dividend. TWINs dividend yield is
meaningfully lower than most of its peers and increasing the dividend would heighten
investor awareness and partially help address TWINs over capitalization. We would also
strongly urge you to consider a one time special dividend to help the company achieve a
more optimal capital structure. |
We hope you appreciate the constructive spirit under which we are writing this letter. As
significant TWIN shareholders we are highly motivated to ensure the companys long term success.
We have patiently attempted to convince management to address the concerns mentioned above, but to
date have seen little progress. Our patience is running out and as a result, we have elected to
bring our
concerns to the Board, as part of our first (and hopefully last) step to ensure that all
shareholders interests are being addressed. As directors, you have a fiduciary responsibility to
enhance shareholder value and we hope you do not take this responsibility lightly.
We (disappointing) note that many of TWINs Board members own very little stock in the company.
This is especially surprising considering how many years some of you have served on the Board and
how much you have been paid by TWIN shareholders for your services. A lack of outright stock
ownership often means directors have little incentive to ensure that shareholder value is being
maximized....we hope that is not the case here.
We have extensively analyzed TWIN and provided you several well researched and easy to implement
suggestions. To summarize, we believe that if TWIN wants to remain a publicly traded company, it
should start acting more like as a publicly traded company by being more investor friendly and by
utilizing a more efficient capital structure. If management is not interested in acting like a
public company, TWIN should put itself up for sale in an effort to maximize shareholder value. We
believe there are many parties who would be interested in acquiring TWIN at a significant premium
to its current stock price.
Please note that we have elected to keep this communication private and hope to work with you in a
constructive and friendly manner to improve TWIN for the benefit of all shareholders. We
understand you have a Board meeting in a few weeks and we hope this letter will encourage some
discussion prior to that meeting so that the Board can take tangible actions at the upcoming
meeting. We look forward to hearing from you and can be reached at 212-808-7330.
Sincerely,
Ephraim Fields