Activist investor Carl Icahn reportedly took a sizable stake in beverage-can maker Crown Holdings , and Deutsche Bank thinks investors should follow suit as the firm sees a 45% upside in the stock. Icahn has amassed an 8% stake in Crown, making the investor the second largest shareholder, the Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday night. Icahn is pushing the company to divest or spin off noncore assets to focus on the beverage-can business and believes more stock could be repurchased, the Journal reported. Deutsche Bank said it agrees with Icahn that such a move would unlock great potential in Crown, closing the valuation gap between its rival Ball Corp . “We agree that shareholder value could be unlocked by simplifying the portfolio and becoming a pureplay beverage can business,” Deutsche Bank analyst Kyle White said in a note. “Our analysis regarding the sale of assets outside of the beverage can business points to 45% upside versus the current share price.” Shares of Crown have fallen nearly 40% this year, underperforming the broader market. Deutsche Bank has a buy rating on Crown and set its 12-month price target at $90. The stock was up 5% to $70.22 on the Icahn move in early trading Thursday. Still, the Wall Street firm cautioned that the current capital market environment would likely cause some challenges to this strategy and make finding buyers at reasonable valuations difficult.
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