"Can't Dismiss Kerkorian's GM Bid"
By James J. Cramer
RealMoney.com Columnist
5/5/2005 9:11 AM EDT
"The skepticism with which this Kirk Kerkorian move for General Motors (GM:NYSE - commentary - research) is viewed may be the single biggest reason I am taking it seriously.
I, too, want to laugh at the 87-year-old man having his kicks, buying up stock in a tender that could have been purchased over time. I, too, can't see a way out for this company's guarantees to workers.
But those who think he is in it for the "quick trade," which represented about 95% of the opinions I received on this issue, have to ask themselves, is there anything about Kerkorian that makes you feel that way?
I think there is a tendency to lump Carl Icahn and Kerkorian -- two "raiders" -- together. I don't like taking Icahn seriously. He's never really built anything, anything at all. He's parasitic in nature and not someone I would bring in to create value. He, frankly, isn't a good guy.
Kerkorian, though, has built a really great gaming empire. He is a shrewd dealmaker, but he is also a creator of value. Maybe nobody remembers, except for me, that he brought in Jerome York to Chrysler, who was instrumental in changing that company's culture. York then performed his magic to save IBM, although he never took much credit.
OK, so you don't buy that Kerkorian creates value. Ask yourself this: If he were really in it for a quick trade, why not buy as much as he could before having to disclose, which is much more than he has, and then start making a lot of noise like Icahn did at Kerr-McGee (KMG:NYSE - commentary - research), where the quick trade was really all that was involved.
Some speculated Wednesday that Kerkorian would flip his stock as it went above the tender. These people believe that the whole thing is a ruse, a pump and dump. My checks with lawyers and arbitragers say that the government could hit him with a 34-act manipulation claim if he did that. More importantly, there is nothing in this man's reputation that indicates he would ever do that. He cares passionately about his reputation, and that matters here.
Now, let's consider GM.
We all accept that this is one of the most poorly run companies in the universe. We all know it gave away the store to workers. But we also know that deals can be reopened, recut and, with some panache, changed to make things better. Of course, that usually means filing Chapter 11 first, which would wipe out the common stock. However, that doesn't mean something else can't be done. And if you think that magic can't happen, consider that the airline companies are basically all bankrupt and have been for ages, yet they can have sharp rallies that shouldn't happen but do.
I'm sorry, I can't dismiss this bid. There's nothing about Kerkorian that makes him dismissible, nothing. He's rich beyond belief. He probably, with a few phone calls, could buy the darned company. He's a seasoned player with a great reputation. Maybe I would feel differently if I were short.
I'm not, though.
I've been very negative about GM stock for a long time.
This makes me positive. Sorry. "
(in
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