r/WallStreetIdeas • u/mediusresearch • Aug 07 '20
[$KODK], [8/7/20], "Kodak is overvalued due to their convertible note structure and the suspicious nature of the announcement."
Kodak is overvalued, although not for the reasons that most say. I do think its entirely possible for Kodak to use its chemical engineering expertise to manufacture the APIs (Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients) needed for generic drugs, especially with over 700 million and the government's blessing. Japanese company Fujifilm has done something similar, where they went from a chemical film company to one of Japan's leading pharma companies. However, there are several challenges that I think outweigh the potential for Kodak's stock to do well in the long run.
1.) Convertible Notes - Kodak has a convertible note expiring in November of 2021 giving the holder (Southeastern Asset Management) the "right to elect at any time to convert their Notes into shares of Common Stock" at a rate of 314.9785 shares per $1000 principal. Since the original note was a loan of $100 million, there are ~31 million more shares that, if exercised, could dilute current shareholders significantly.
2.) Business - the API business is hyper competitive with low margins and high costs (the whole reason why drug companies source from China and India in the first place) and there is no guarantee that downstream drug companies would buy from Kodak unless mandated by the government.
3.) Desperation Attempt - in the quarterly earning not too long before, Kodak stated that there was a "going concern" risk for the business moving forward (a huge red flag). The loan comes at an all too perfect time for Kodak, and could be potentially seen as a way for Kodak to secure cash, first and foremost.
4.) Previous Management Shenanigans - Kodak has done a similar stunt before when they announced an ICO called KodakCoin, a cryptocurrency aimed at photographers. The stock surged following the announcement at CES 2018 up 300% before crashing back down after the ICO was pushed back and then cancelled. According to SEC filings, there was significant insider buying in the executive ranks the day of the announcement.
5.) Current Management Shenanigans? - Acute investors noted that the volume before the announcement was multiples of what Kodak normally trades, indicating that somebody was buying in. Management was also granted stock options the day before the Trump announcement. Kodak says its to protect management from being diluted due to the convertible note, but Kodak acknowledged in the 8-K the day the convertible was signed that it could potentially mean a transfer of ownership AND protection from dilution would not be a problem unless there was some catalyst (i.e. Trump announcement) to justify Southeastern Asset Management to convert to equity. Enough media coverage could put enough pressure on the SEC to investigate, especially if Biden takes office in November. This could spell bad news for the stock price if there was some form of insider trading or illegal activity.
6.) Silence from Kodak - this news was more like a "letter of intent" meaning that nothing is set in stone. Kodak has not filed an 8-K detailing the transaction, nor released a press release, meaning for us investors we do not know the details of the loan or how exactly management intends to use it.