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Aristeia Urges Sina Corporation Shareholders to Make the Right Choice and Add Fresh Voices to the Company's BoardAristeia Capital, L.L.C. (collectively with Aristeia Master, L.P. and certain other affiliates, "Aristeia" or "we" or "us"), a long-term investor in Sina Corporation (NASDAQ: SINA) ("Sina" or the "Company") and currently one of the Company's five largest shareholders, owning approximately 3 million shares, today sent a letter to Sina shareholders in connection with Aristeia's nomination of two highly-qualified, independent candidates - Thomas J. Manning and Brett H. Krause - for election to the Company's Board of Directors (the "Board") at the upcoming Annual Meeting of shareholders, which is currently scheduled to be held on November 3, 2017. Aristeia urges all Sina shareholders to vote on the BLUE proxy card today. Please visit Aristeia's website: www.SinaShareholdersAction.com for additional information, including our in-depth investor presentation, The Case for Change at Sina. The full text of the letter follows: October 16, 2017 Dear Fellow Shareholders, As you know, Aristeia Capital, L.L.C. (collectively with Aristeia Master, L.P. and certain other affiliates, "Aristeia" or "we" or "us"), is engaged in an effort to constructively address the growing valuation gap at Sina Corporation (NASDAQ: SINA) ("Sina" or the "Company"). This is why we have nominated two highly-qualified and truly independent nominees - Thomas J. Manning and Brett H. Krause - to be added to the Company's Board of Directors (the "Board") at Sina's upcoming 2017 Annual General Meeting of Shareholders (the "Annual Meeting"), currently scheduled to be held on November 3, 2017. As the Annual Meeting rapidly approaches, there has been an increasing number of communications issued from both sides. In the midst of this activity, it is easy to lose focus of the core issues impacting your investment in Sina. In this letter, we will present, simply and clearly, what we see as the essential points that should drive your decision in this important vote. In our view, this entire contest is fundamentally about three simple issues: I. Sina is undervalued - its shares are trading at a massive discount to net asset value ("NAV") and total shareholder return ("TSR (News - Alert)") has dramatically underperformed its true potential. II. This valuation gap is a direct result of Sina's poor corporate governance and insular, undersized Board. III. The addition of fresh perspectives and truly independent voices to the boardroom can drive long-term value creation for shareholders. In the following paragraphs, we will provide more detail on each of these. Regardless of what Sina has said or may say in the days leading up to the Annual Meeting, we urge you to keep these three key points in mind as you consider your important decision. We believe that a careful analysis of these issues will make it clear that a vote on the BLUE proxy card is warranted. SINA IS UNDERVALUED - ITS SHARES ARE TRADING AT A MASSIVE DISCOUNT TO NAV AND TSR HAS DRAMATICALLY UNDERPERFORMED ITS TRUE POTENTIAL
-- We believe that substantial shareholder value has been compromised due to the lack of independent perspectives and fresh voices on Sina's insular board. The tenure of its Board members (an average of over 15 years among independent directors) is so long that the Company has not had a new director with fresh perspectives since before the iPhone (News - Alert) was invented!
THE ADDITION OF FRESH PERSPECTIVES AND TRULY INDEPENDENT VOICES TO THE BOARDROOM CAN DRIVE LONG-TERM VALUE CREATION FOR SHAREHOLDERS
Hear from the Nominee - Thomas Manning: "Over nearly two decades living and working in China, and through my continued business involvement in the country, I have formed a deep understanding of the intricacies of corporate governance issues impacting Chinese companies and how to operate within the complex Chinese regulatory system. If elected, I believe that I could bring this valuable experience to bear as an independent, new voice working alongside the current Sina Board to unlock long-term value for shareholders. My foremost desire is to engage constructively with Sina's Board and management team to work through the issues plaguing the Company and to determine the best way forward to enhance value for all shareholders."
Hear from the Nominee - Brett Krause: "If elected to the Sina Board, I believe that I could leverage my strong experience in the Chinese technology and international finance sectors to add a valuable perspective to the Board. I have been deeply involved in building new, successful technology businesses in the region and will be able to utilize this experience in assessing the issues currently facing Sina, while also taking a fresh look at areas for improvement and growth. As someone who will inject a fresh perspective, but who also possesses a deep understanding of the space in which the Company operates, I am confident that I will be able to work seamlessly and cooperatively with the existing Sina Board members to explore creative strategies to unlock value." *** In less than three weeks, you, our fellow Sina shareholders, will be faced with a crucial decision. Will you vote to add our two highly-qualified nominees to Sina's existing five-member Board of Directors? Or will you accept the status quo, in which Sina is underperforming and not delivering the value you deserve for your investment? This will be your only true chance for change until the next shareholder meeting over a year from now. Ultimately, we believe that change is needed at Sina to close the valuation gap that currently exists and to drive long-term value for all shareholders. The bottom line is that additional perspectives and fresh voices in the boardroom can only help, not hurt, when it comes to guiding Sina and unlocking shareholder value. We strongly urge Sina's shareholders to vote FOR both of our independent and highly-qualified nominees on the BLUE proxy card and to return it in the postage-paid envelope provided. Due to the Company's requirement that proxies must be received by it no later than forty-eight (48) hours prior to the Annual Meeting, it is very important that you return your BLUE proxy card to us as soon as possible to ensure that your vote gets counted. If you have already returned a white proxy card to the Company, you can revoke that card by submitting a later-dated BLUE proxy card. If you have any questions, or require assistance with your vote, please contact Okapi Partners LLC at the number listed below. PLEASE SIGN, DATE, AND MAIL THE BLUE PROXY CARD TODAY! Sincerely,
Robert H. Lynch, Jr. If you have any questions, or need assistance voting your BLUE proxy card, please contact:
OKAPI
Telephone for Banks, Brokers, and International Shareholders: +1
212-297-0720 About Aristeia Aristeia Capital, L.L.C. ("Aristeia") is a global investment manager with a twenty-year track record of executing fundamentally based strategies across the capital structure. Founded in 1997, Aristeia aims to achieve superior, risk-adjusted returns for an investor base that includes pension plans, endowments, foundations, other institutions and private clients. The firm's approximately 50 employees are split between its Greenwich, Connecticut headquarters and a New York City office. Disclaimer Any views expressed herein represent the opinion of Aristeia, whose analysis is based solely on publicly available information. No representation or warranty is made as to the accuracy or completeness of any information contained therein and Aristeia disclaims all liability based on such information. The information contained herein does not recommend the purchase or sale of any security nor is it an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any security. Furthermore, the information contained herein is not intended to be, nor should it be construed or used as, investment, tax or legal advice. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Aristeia has neither sought nor obtained the consent from any third party to use any statements or information contained herein that have been obtained or derived from statements made or published by such third parties. Any such statements or information should not be viewed as indicating the support of such third parties for the views expressed herein. 1 Aristeia internal analysis, Bloomberg (News - Alert) L.P., third-party research. U.S. Primary Listing Holding Companies with $1+ billion market capitalization. 2 See Aristeia's Presentation: The Case for Change at Sina. 3 J.P. Morgan Analyst Report, 9/22/17. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171016005646/en/ |