The long portfolio was marginally profitable, led by General Motors (GM, Financial) which advanced from $22.75 to $28.83 in the quarter. GM repurchased more than 11% of its shares from the government, which has committed to sell the balance of its stake over the next year. GM’s reduced share count is quite accretive to its earnings, and we hope that the recent action is afirst step by management toward shareholder-friendly capital allocation. Even after the repurchase, GM holds substantial excess capital and has a good opportunity to further reward shareholders through additional share repurchases either from the government or in the open market.
From David Einhorn's fourth quarter letter.
From David Einhorn's fourth quarter letter.
