Hertz Global Holdings has considered selling it’s Donlen leasing business if it can get at least $1 billion and has several buyers interested in the fleet management company, chiefly private equity funds, according to a report from Bloomberg.
The settlement suspends litigation with debtors. Hertz agrees to pay $650 million and dispose of at least 182,521 leased vehicles by December 31.
A dragged-out post-lockdown recovery, a huge debt pile, and the potential for zero recoveries for unsecured creditors make the Hertz bankruptcy a likely liquidation, says Wall Street analyst Girish Bhise.
Miller’s company, Orlando Rentco, will acquire Advantage’s Miami, Tampa, Atlanta, Charlotte, Dallas/Ft. Worth, and Nashville airport locations.
Hertz was advised by the SEC’s Division of Corporation Finance that it intended to review the plan, at which point the plan was suspended.
Hertz says the recent increases in its stock “present a unique opportunity for its debtors to raise capital on terms that are far superior to any debtor-in-possession financing.”
The potential delisting pertains to New York Stock Exchange regulations that require the average daily closing price of the company’s stock to be more than $1 a day over a consecutive 30-day trading period.
Bankruptcy proceedings can impact franchise contracts, fleet payments, and corporate accounts. When the dust settles, Hertz 2.0 will have ripples beyond the franchisees.
The loss will cost Icahn an estimated $1.6 billion.
The outcome may not be as negative as feared, but there’s a greater issue for car rental companies in all this.