One of the biggest things that has dragged Sunedison (NYSE:SUNE) down as of late was hits to the Vivint Solar (NYSE:VSLR) acquisition. Today's declines actually have a bit to do with that. On Tuesday, Sunedison announced that it had made the decision to cancel the proposed acquisition of Vivint Solar. Because the acquisition was a contractual obligaion, Vivint Solar turned around and decided to sue SUNE for damages associated with the cancellation of the agreement, stating that SUNE failed “at every turn to satisfy their financing obligations and to take other reasonable steps toward consummating the merger...” If the lawsuit proves to be fruitful for Vivint, Sunedison could wind up paying a settlement of more than $34 million as a merger breakup fee. Naturally, this type of news will lead to losses, and that's exactly what's happening. Currently (10:22), SUNE is trading at $1.84 per share after a loss of $0.08 per share or 4.17% thus far today.
Should You Be Concerned About The Declines?
When it comes to the declines we're seeing on SUNE today, I have to say that I'm not very concerned at all. Sure, it's a bad thing that SUNE couldn't satisfy lenders and obtain the financing required to go through with the merger; and I have to say, I'm not happy about the lawsuit the company is facing as a result. However, there are just as many reasons to have a bullish opinion on the stock as there are to have a bearish opinion, and in the long run, I'm expecting to see gains.
What We Can Expect To See Moving Forward
Moving forward, I have a relatively mixed opinion with regard to what we can expect to see from SUNE. In the short term, chances are that we will see more declines as concerns over the legal battle between Sunedison and Vivint Solar cause fear among investors. However, in the long run, I have a very bullish opinion of what we can expect. Here's why...
- Energy Purchase Agreements – One of the biggest reasons I maintain a bullish opinion on SUNE is possibly the most interesting piece of their business model. One way that the company makes money is by building solar power plants under power purchase agreements. Essentially, SUNE shells out the cash it takes to build the solar power plants. However, they sign agreements with utility companies to purchase the power that is generated within these power plants. So, while the company has to take on debt to purchase the plants, they are guaranteed years and years of revenue from the power produced. As we start to see more of these agreements paying off, I believe that Sunedison investors will be pleasantly surprised.
- SUNE Has A Massive Amount Of Assets – According to Ycharts, SUNE currently has assets with a total value of $20.71 billion. Now, I know that investors are concerned with the amount of debt the company holds, but $20.71 billion is quite a bit compared to the about $1 billion owed by the company. Let's put that into perspective. Let's say that SUNE does sell all of its assets today, raking in the $20.71 billion they are worth. After paying off their debts, there would be about $19.71 billion left, but let's round down to $19 billion for good measure. Also according to Ycharts, there are 316.72 million outstanding shares for the $19 billion to be divided between. That leaves a total of $59.98 per share to be handed out. Of course, legal fees, costs of selling, and more would play in, eating away a large chunk of that number, but there would still be more than $14 per share for existing share holders when all was said and done. So, based on the enormous amount of assets, I don't think that the debt is very concerning at all!
- David Einhorn – Don't forget, Sunedison recently agreed to give a seat on the board of directors to Davide Einhorn's GreenLight Capital. When it comes to investing and business acumen, it doesn't get much better than these guys. So, I believe that Einhorn and his team will really help to turn things around for SUNE.
I could sit here and list more off, but I think you get the picture. The reality is that SUNE is a great company that has fallen on hard times. However, I have no doubt in my mind that the company will be able to pick up and grow in the long run.