• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

As CEO of the $96 billion Sam’s Club, Latriece Watkins is testing her mettle at the warehouse retailer that produced CEOs for Walmart, Target, and Walgreens

2

Jeff Bezos wants the bottom half of earners to pay zero income tax—he says nurses making just $75K should save $12K a year

3

As AI slashes white-collar jobs, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff says almost no one is being hired—except in sales

1

As CEO of the $96 billion Sam’s Club, Latriece Watkins is testing her mettle at the warehouse retailer that produced CEOs for Walmart, Target, and Walgreens

2

Jeff Bezos wants the bottom half of earners to pay zero income tax—he says nurses making just $75K should save $12K a year

3

As AI slashes white-collar jobs, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff says almost no one is being hired—except in sales
FinanceDuPont

DuPont fires back at activist investor, outlines Trian ‘myths’ in shareholder letter

By
Tom Huddleston Jr.
Tom Huddleston Jr.
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Tom Huddleston Jr.
Tom Huddleston Jr.
Down Arrow Button Icon
February 17, 2015, 5:15 PM ET
Shareholders walk toward the DuPont theater for the Ford Motor Company annual meeting of shareholders in Wilmington Delaware
Shareholders walk toward the DuPont theater for the Ford Motor Company annual meeting of shareholders in Wilmington, Delaware, May 10, 2012. REUTERS/Tim Shaffer (UNITED STATES - Tags: TRANSPORT BUSINESS) - RTR31V2GPhotograph by Tim Shaffer — Reuters

DuPont has some things to clear up when it comes to the chemicals giant’s standoff with activist investor Nelson Peltz.

The company, which has been squared off in a proxy battle with Peltz’s Trian Fund Management for months, sent a letter to its shareholders Tuesday in an attempt to dispel what DuPont sees as “misleading assertions” made by the activist investment firm. “In an attempt to advance their agenda, Trian has launched a proxy fight based on misrepresentations, inaccurate data, and flawed analyses to distract from DuPont’s track record of strong performance,” DuPont CEO Ellen Kullman said in the letter.

The letter accuses Trian — which has a nearly 2.7% stake in DuPont (DD) — of using misleading statements in its attempt to secure seats on DuPont’s board of directors for Peltz and three other candidates picked by Trian. Peltz’s firm has attacked DuPont for falling short of earnings and revenue targets and has urged the chemicals company to split itself into two separate companies even after it completes a planned spin-off of its performance chemicals business.

In Tuesday’s letter, Kullman notes that DuPont’s shareholder returns have exceeded those of its rivals over the past year, as well as over the past 3-year and 5-year periods. DuPont’s stock is up more than 18% over the past year, which also outpaces the benchmark S&P 500’s 14% gain during that period.

DuPont also took aim at claims Peltz made recently in which the activist investor took credit for DuPont’s improved stock performance in recent years, attributing the increased returns. A separate document also sent to shareholders by DuPont attacks what the company calls “Trian’s Myths,” including Peltz’s recent assertions that DuPont’s improved returns are attributable to Trian’s ongoing push for changes at the company. DuPont charts the company’s stock performance going back more than seven years to show improved performance that predates Trian’s 2013 investment in the company.

DuPont has repeatedly rejected Trian’s push for four seats on the company’s board and for DuPont to separate its businesses, though the company said Tuesday it has met with Peltz “more than 20 times” in an effort to come to a resolution with Trian. Earlier this month, DuPont named two of its own candidates to its board of directors. Last week, Trian said it was “open-minded” when it comes to avoiding breaking up DuPont, adding that the ongoing proxy battle is more “a referendum on DuPont’s financial performance.”

Trian did not immediately respond to Fortune’s request for comment on the shareholder letter.

New board members will be voted on at DuPont’s annual shareholders meeting, a date for which has not yet been set.

About the Author
By Tom Huddleston Jr.
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Finance

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Finance

As part of her Citi turnaround, Jane Fraser cut management layers from 13 to 8. But the ‘great flattening’ doesn’t always work as intended
C-SuiteManagement
As part of her Citi turnaround, Jane Fraser cut management layers from 13 to 8. But the ‘great flattening’ doesn’t always work as intended
By Claire ZillmanMay 30, 2026
13 minutes ago
Matt Rogers
Commentarystart-ups
I worked with Steve Jobs at Apple, where every OS update killed startups. AI founders are about to face the same thing
By Matt RogersMay 30, 2026
43 minutes ago
grid
Environmentpower grid
The U.S. power grid isn’t one big machine — it’s three. That’s a problem for blackout season
By Sufan Jiang, Fangxing Fran Li and The ConversationMay 30, 2026
1 hour ago
warsh
EconomyInflation
High gas prices are just the start — inflation is seeping into the rest of the economy
By D. Brian Blank, Brandy Hadley and The ConversationMay 30, 2026
1 hour ago
sam
CommentaryChips
The AI economy could crash on mounting chip costs — and those token costs won’t help
By Rakesh KumarMay 30, 2026
2 hours ago
TIAA CEO Thasunda Brown Duckett is trying to fix America’s broken retirement system
Personal Financechief executive officer (CEO)
TIAA CEO Thasunda Brown Duckett is trying to fix America’s broken retirement system
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezMay 30, 2026
2 hours ago

Most Popular

As CEO of the $96 billion Sam’s Club, Latriece Watkins is testing her mettle at the warehouse retailer that produced CEOs for Walmart, Target, and Walgreens
Magazine
As CEO of the $96 billion Sam’s Club, Latriece Watkins is testing her mettle at the warehouse retailer that produced CEOs for Walmart, Target, and Walgreens
By Emma HinchliffeMay 27, 2026
3 days ago
Jeff Bezos wants the bottom half of earners to pay zero income tax—he says nurses making just $75K should save $12K a year
Success
Jeff Bezos wants the bottom half of earners to pay zero income tax—he says nurses making just $75K should save $12K a year
By Preston ForeMay 21, 2026
9 days ago
As AI slashes white-collar jobs, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff says almost no one is being hired—except in sales
Success
As AI slashes white-collar jobs, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff says almost no one is being hired—except in sales
By Emma BurleighMay 28, 2026
2 days ago
Current price of oil as of May 29, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of May 29, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerMay 29, 2026
1 day ago
UBS says Ron DeSantis has a problem with his plan to help 92% of homeowners save on property taxes: His own state's data
Personal Finance
UBS says Ron DeSantis has a problem with his plan to help 92% of homeowners save on property taxes: His own state's data
By Nick LichtenbergMay 28, 2026
2 days ago
Researchers let AI models run a simulated society. Claude was the safest—and Grok committed 180 crimes and went extinct within 4 days
AI
Researchers let AI models run a simulated society. Claude was the safest—and Grok committed 180 crimes and went extinct within 4 days
By Jake AngeloMay 28, 2026
2 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.