Illumina Inc. ILMN said Monday that activist investor Carl Icahn’s board nominees are “unqualified,” urging shareholders to reject all three of Icahn’s nominees and instead support its “highly qualified” nominees. That’s the latest salvo between the genomics company and Icahn, who earlier Monday issued the second letter in as many business days to Illumina investors, saying that Chief Executive Francis de Souza and “protectors” seem “dead set on destroying the company.” On its letter to shareholders, the company said it plans on creating “long-term shareholder value” in addition to the request for support for its nominees. “Illumina is the only pure-play genomics company with profitable revenue growth,” it said. Shares of Illumina have dropped 32% in the past 12 months, contrasting with gains of about 1% for the S&P 500 index. SPX Icahn started a proxy fight with Illumina in March, criticizing the company’s plan to buy cancer-screening company Grail Inc.
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