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Overview
Pershing Square is an activist hedge fund led by renowned investor Bill Ackman. The firm manages nearly $17B, through significant investment in eight to twelve public companies at a time.
Over the years, Pershing Square has made a number of high-profile investments, including positions in companies such as Target, Canadian Pacific Railway, and Chipotle Mexican Grill. One of the firm's most well-known investments was its short position in Herbalife, which Ackman publicly criticized as a pyramid scheme. The investment generated significant media attention and became a highly publicized and contentious debate among investors.
Pershing Square Capital Management is a respected investment management firm known for its concentrated, long-term approach to investing and its success as an activist investor. Bill Ackman, the firm's founder, is a well-known figure in the investment world and is considered one of the most successful activist investors of his generation.
Remember that in order to craft a great answer to the common question "Why this Firm?", it's your responsibility to read articles and speak with employees. If you are interviewing with Pershing Square, you should make sure you know:
1 deal that the investment team you are recruiting with has done
1 person at the firm (ideally someone who would have influence over your recruiting process)
1 business model-specific detail to mention
We explain how to answer qualitative questions and research private equity firms in our Private Equity Course. We also teach how to build LBO models and prepare for case study interviews.
Selected Activist Impact
Pershing Square is most known for what some call "the greatest trade of all time" - a $27mm bet into credit markets as part of a larger prediction that the coronavirus would effectively shut down the world. Within a few months, the trade yielded $2.6B - nearly a 100x return.
Fact Sheet
Company Name: Pershing Square Holdings
Description: Pershing Square Holdings, Ltd. is an investment holding company structured as a closed-ended fund principally engaged in the business of acquiring and holding significant positions in companies
Firm Category: Activist Investor
Status: Pershing Square is a privately held companyf
Founded: 2003
Assets Under Management: $16.8B
Chief Executive Officer: Bill Ackman
Headquarters: New York City, USA
Resources
Based on the H1B Database, the average base salary for an Investment Analyst at Pershing Square is $150k. We note that this salary information may be dated and not reflective of their current pay.