Hertz Global Holdings Inc., one of the nation's largest car-rental companies, filed for bankruptcy protection Friday, saddled with about $19 billion in debt and nearly 700,00 vehicles that have been largely idled because of the coronavirus.
Billionaire Carl Icahn wound up purchasing more than 11.4 million shares of car rental giant Hertz Global (NYSE:HTZ) at an average price of $7.43 between March 10 and March 12.
The acquisition of additional shares of Hertz shouldn't really come as a surprise, because Icahn Capital Management has been somewhat steadily building up its position in the rental company for six years. After this latest round of purchasing, Icahn holds almost a 39% stake in the company. Over these six years, Icahn has been successful in winning board seats and helped reshape the management team to drive growth. Though earnings growth could easily outpace sales growth in the years to come as the company aims to improve its operating efficiency, Hertz's balance sheet, which is lugging around $18 billion in net debt, looks to be an eyesore that I wouldn't want to touch.