It wasn't necessarily the last, best hope for investors in Candela
Third Point manager Daniel Loeb has been known to agitate for change, and indeed, he was soon pushing for possible "strategic alternatives." The situation was bound to become contentious, and it didn't take long before Candela's management charged that Loeb was not being the "passive" investor his SEC filings claimed.
Thus, recent news that Loeb had cut Third Point's position in Candela to just 3.5% wasn't exactly happy tidings. But you really can't blame him. When he first acquired his 2 million shares, he paid around $11.50 apiece for them. Today, those same shares trade at less than $4 a stub. His $23 million investment had declined to about $8 million.
Loeb has run into difficulties with a few of his investments, and he lightened up his holdings with them as well. He recently reduced his stake in Cypress Semiconductor
With revenue at Candela melting away faster than one of its lasers can melt cellulite, and with rivals like Syneron Medical
With the economy eroding and capital drying up, consumers might not want to shell out money for these vanity procedures, and doctors may start cutting back on acquiring the machines to perform them. In that situation, both investors and the laser companies will end up getting singed.