Icahn Gets Split Shareholder Adviser Verdict on Push to Halt AmTrust Deal

Two prominent shareholder advisory firms are divided on whether shareholders in AmTrust Financial Services Inc. should support Carl Icahn’s efforts to prevent the company from going private. Institutional Shareholder Services Inc. said investors should vote against the New York-based insurer’s plan to go private as it would be better off as a standalone company. ISS said the transaction, which values AmTrust at about $2.7 billion, isn’t comparable to where its peers trade and where AmTrust itself may trade over the long term.