GOODYEAR TIRE & RUBBER CO. $11.65 (New York symbol GT; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk) (330 -796-2122; www.goodyear.com; Shares outstanding: 244.7 million; Market cap: $2.9 billion; No dividends paid) has announced a major expansion of its global off-the-road (OTR) tire business: The company has acquired 100% of its Nippon Giant Tire subsidiary in Japan. (OTR tires are used for heavy equipment.)
Goodyear now plans to spend $250 million to upgrade and expand Nippon Giant Tire’s manufacturing facility. When these improvements are completed, the plant will be able to make a complete line of 57-inch tires, as well as 63-inch tires at a future date.
OTR tire demand is growing rapidly in the mining and road construction industries, and this expansion will let Goodyear tap into that growth. It will also help the company grow further in the Asia-Pacific region, primarily in Australia, which is one of the world’s largest markets for OTR tires.
Goodyear is still a buy.