Monday October 22, 03:20 AM
   
Huntingdon loses top shareholder

LONDON (Reuters) - One of the biggest shareholders in Huntingdon Life Sciences 
(LSE: HTD.L - news) is selling its stake in the animal testing company after 
threats to staff by animal rights protestors, the Financial Times has reported.

Oracle Partners, a Connecticut-based hedge fund, said it had started to sell its 
8 percent stake to protect the safety of its staff, the newspaper reported.

Oracle also said Huntingdon's share price performance had motivated the sale.

Huntingdon Life closed at 3-1/4 pence on Friday, compared with a year high of 25 pence.

Larry Feinberg, Oracle's president, told the FT: "My staff have been threatened by 
these terrorists and I have to take account of that."

HLS told the FT the loss of Oracle as a shareholder was "unfortunate and inevitable" 
in the light of heightened protester activity, but said private investors were picking 
up the divested holdings.

Oracle's exit would follow sales by British institutional shareholders, including 
Merrill Lynch, Barclays (LSE: BARC.L - news) , HSBC, CSFB, Philips & Drew and 
WestLB Panmure.

Oracle was Huntingdon Life Science's third-largest shareholder after Quilcap, another 
U.S. hedge fund, which has a 10 per cent stake, and Stephens Group, the company's 
banker which holds 15.65 per cent.

Huntingdon and Oracle officials were not immediately available to comment on the 
report.