(By Balachander) Activist investor Carl Icahn has his lifted his stake in Navistar International Corp. (NYSE:NAV) to roughly 12 percent, a day after the truck manufacturer posted a surprise quarterly loss and slashed its earnings guidance yet again this year.
On Friday, NAV shares jumped 13.89 percent to trade at $27.46. The stock rebounded after closing 14 percent lower on Thursday.
A regulatory filing showed that the billionaire investor acquired a total of 883,200 shares of Navistar for $24.44 apiece to take his stake to 8.1 million shares.
On Thursday, the stock plunged nearly 28 percent after the company reported an unexpected loss for the second quarter and also announced a management reorganization amid troubles getting approval from the government for its new engine.
Wall Street analysts believe the activist investor, who is known for investing in struggling companies, may have exploited the sharp retreat in the share price to his advantage.
According to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Icahn now owns 11.87 percent of NAV, up from 9.99 percent stake disclosed earlier.
The activist investor has been supporting a merger between Navistar and rival Oshkosh Corp. (NYSE: OSK), whose shareholders rejected all six of Icahn's nominated directors in January. Icahn owns around 10 percent of Oshkosh.
Navistar, which is struggling to meet current U.S. emission rules for its new heavy-duty truck engine, is working with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to get resolution for the 13-liter engine.
The company also said on Thursday that Troy Clarke, currently president of Navistar Asia Pacific, will assume responsibility for all Navistar's operations in the newly-created role of President, Truck and Engine. Jack Allen will become president of North America Truck and Parts. The changes will take effect July 1, following Board approval.
Over the past year, the stock has been trading between $20.21 and $58.50.