Take a look at
$RDUS / Schnitzer’s last 10-Q – massive net loss, cash burned in operations, and $582 million in shareholder’s equity.
So why would Toyota pay $1.34 billion all cash – a 120% premium – to buy it?
Toyota just locked down Schnitzer’s supply of scrap metal – which, until 48 hours ago, was the largest independent scrap metal chain in America.
This mitigates Toyota’s exposure to tariffs/supply chain disruptions – and Toyota was willing to pay a $757 million cash premium to secure it. It appears Toyota did not base their valuation on Schnitzer’s current operations but on the value their supply of scrap metal would provide to their operations.
$GWAV believes the scrap metal industry is undergoing a fundamental transformation – major steel producers are moving decisively to de-risk their supply chains by acquiring scrap metal companies, locking down a consistent supply of low-cost metal. Even before the tariffs, this was driving rapid consolidation of U.S. scrap metal companies.
We estimate there are ~50 scrap yard chains with significant supply volume left in the U.S. – the rest have already been acquired by one of the conglomerates.
$GWAV expects the consolidation of U.S. scrap metal companies by steel producers to likely accelerate.
Two days ago, Toyota paid $1.34 billion cash – a $757 million premium – to buy the largest independent U.S. scrap metal company. We believe this is a clear indicator the market could be significantly undervaluing U.S. scrap metal chains.