When GM CEO Daniel Akerson recently compared one of his company's cars to a can of Diet Coke, investors and, no doubt, employees cringed. After all, the belief that cars were no more than expensive consumer products is what caused GM's downfall and subsequent bankruptcy in 2009.
The initial public offering of General Motors last week netted $11.7 billion for the U.S. Treasury, which invested taxpayer money into keeping the then-struggling automaker solvent during the financial crisis as part of its Troubled Asset Relief Program.
For the first time since June 2009, shares in General Motors have begun trading on the New York Stock Exchange, opening Thursday at $35. In early morning trading, the Detroit automaker's shares continued to drive higher, up over 8% at one point.
Shares of General Motors are set to begin trading again Thursday, just 16 months after the automaker emerged from bankruptcy protection. Investor demand prompted GM to hike the price range for common shares to as much as $33.
In its initial public offering Thursday, General Motors will raise its price range and offer more shares than previously expected, according to an Associated Press story citing an anonymous source.
GM reportedly plans to raise the price range on its pending initial public of stock to as much as $33 a share. The increase to $31 to $33 a share from the initial $26 to $29 a share is being prompted by strong demand for the stock.
It's not unusual for a departing chief exec to maintain some involvement with the corporation he or she led, usually by holding onto or taking a position on the company's board of directors. That can be a bad idea. Consider GM's Ed Whitacre.
When General Motors has its initial public offering, its shares will likely price at $20 to $25 each, according to chairman Ed Whitacre.
At an anticipated $16 billion, General Motors' pending initial public offering was expected to be the second largest in history. Now, the No. 1 U.S. automaker is revising IPO expectations downward, anticipating it will bring in $8 billion to $10 billion when shares go public in November.
It's looking less likely that taxpayers will recoup the $50 billion spent to bail out General Motors. A government watchdog says the U.S. Treasury would need to sell its shares for $133.78 each to break even.
China's SAIC Motor is considering taking a stake in General Motors when the Detroit-based automaker begins its public offering of stock later this year. Though some Americans will likely object to foreign ownership, GM's stakeholders will likely need all the help they can get unloading shares.