Activist Investors Are Back And More Active Than Ever

Notable activist investor Carl Icahn helped boost shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb Co BMY on Wednesday after his name was attached to the stock. This comes just a few days after Nelson Peltz, a fellow activist investor, amassed a multi-billion-dollar stake in Procter & Gamble Co PG.

Business as usual for activist investors?

CNBC's Leslie Picker crunched the statistics to see if activist investors are more busy now than they were a year ago, and the findings present a clear conclusion.

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A total of 12 13D filings have been released so far this year — that's the regulatory disclosure required when an investor amasses a stake of more than 5 percent. By comparison, just six 13D filings were released over the same time period in both 2016 and 2015.

Despite the "activist" title, investors are merely value investors at heart, Picker said. When the stock market sold off last year, activist investors started looking around for companies to buy, but held off until the opportunity was right. That time is now — particularly ahead of potential business-friendly legislation supported by President Donald Trump that would boost stock prices even higher.