Elliott’s pressure will help Goodyear

Article Excerpt

GOODYEAR TIRE & RUBBER CO. $13 is a buy. The company (New York symbol GT; Manufacturing sector; Shares outstanding: 283.4 million; Market cap: $3.7 billion; No dividend paid; Takeover Target Rating: Medium; www.goodyear.com) is one of the world’s largest tiremakers, with 57 plants in 23 countries. Activist investor Elliott Management, which owns about 10% of Goodyear’s shares, is pushing for a number of changes due to the company’s poor profit performance versus its rivals. Elliott wants Goodyear to add five new board members and to sell its roughly 1,000 retail stores. It’s unclear whether Goodyear will implement any of Elliott’s suggestions. Still, the company’s outlook is positive. In the near term, to combat inflationary pressures, the company will continue to cut costs and will keep raising its prices. In addition, it’s making significant investments in future tire technologies, including for electric vehicles. Goodyear Tire is a buy. buy…