*Extra* Sitting Pretty, and Comfortably, on a Cash Cushion
One of the best moments in this past weekend's "TheStreet.com" television
show on
Fox News Channel
was when
James J. Cramer
softballed fund manager
Bob Olstein
into comparing
Federated Stores
(FD)
(which Olstein likes) and
Amazon.com
(AMZN) - Get Report
(which Olstein doesn't). Cramer -- in his now-to-be-expected
review of the show -- paraphrased Olstein as saying, "One has oodles of cash, the other burns it (you figure which is which)."
Actually, it ain't exactly so.
According to easy-to-access figures at
Yahoo! Finance
, Amazon most recently reported having $1.4 billion in cash, or $8.94 per share, an amount equal to 9% of its market capitalization. Real-world retailer Federated has about $239 million in cash, or $1.14 per share, 2% of its market value.
What Olstein meant, of course, is that Federated
generates
cash, while Amazon
spends
it. As Cramer undoubtedly would remind investors, a good cash cushion may make for a good company even if it doesn't make for a great stock.
Healtheon vs. Mede America, Part 2
Healtheon's
(HLTH)
merger partner
Mede America
(MEDE)
made up a tiny portion of its gap Friday after
this column pointed out that billing processor Mede is trading below the "collar" at which Healtheon must renegotiate its purchase price or risk cratering the deal. Healtheon's shares were up 1.5% to 34 5/8 (still below the 38 11/16 floor in the Mede America deal), while Mede's shares rose 2.5% to 20 5/8 (below the corresponding floor of 25 1/2).
Reader
Kevin Grehan
, a corporate lawyer from Mamaroneck, N.Y., wrote in with an important reality check for investors persuaded that investing in Mede now is an easy bet on Healtheon.
"I think you may have overlooked one scenario," Grehan wrote. "Healtheon does not have to renegotiate to get the better deal. If Healtheon does not 'top up,' Mede's board is faced with a very difficult decision -- close below the collar or call off the deal and risk having its stock fall some more. This happened with the
Meditrust
(MT) - Get Report
-
LaQuinta
deal. Because of adverse developments in
Congress
for paired-share real estate investment trusts, Meditrust's stock fell below the collar and the company refused to top up. LaQuinta, however, didn't call off the deal, fearing an even lower value on its stock if the merger were called off. Just some food for thought as to why that $2 may not be akin to shooting fish in a barrel."
Good food. And in one additional comment, a different reader wants to know my long-term thoughts about Healtheon? "Say five years out..." Five years? Beats me.
But here's a question back atcha. Ask your doctor if he or she uses any form of electronic record-keeping, referral-processing or supplies-ordering now. Then ask the doc if they'd like to, especially if it could lower their costs without involving an HMO.
Then you be the judge.
Adam Lashinsky's column appears Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. In keeping with TSC's editorial policy, he doesn't own or short individual stocks, although he owns stock in TheStreet.com. He also doesn't invest in hedge funds or other private investment partnerships. Lashinsky writes a column for Fortune called the Wired Investor, and is a frequent commentator on public radio's Marketplace program. He welcomes your feedback at
alashinsky@thestreet.com.