Intel is possibly on the verge of splitting into two companies, according to Jim Cramer. The CNBC host believes that the two companies Intel will split into are a PC semiconductor company and another geared towards the Internet of Things and data centers. The second one will be a high-growth company, adds Cramer.
Why such a hunch?
On Wednesday, Cramer interviewed Intel CEO Brian Krzanich on CNBC’s Squawk on the Street. Cramer asked the CEO if there are any chances of the company breaking up with Stacy running the slower growth PC chip business while Krzanich runs the faster growing segment.
“Bryan made me feel like I read his mind. And why not? I think the move would unlock tremendous value,” Cramer said.
Intel recently announced that CFO Stacy Smith will move to a new position overseeing sales and manufacturing. This change, according to Cramer, hints at the split.
“So, I put it out there, calling it a conspiracy theory but just venturing out why Stacy Smith would be moving around the company instead of staying CFO, perhaps being groomed to run a spun-off processor business,” the Mad Money host said.
Another reason Cramer believes he is right in predicting a break-up at Intel is the company’s stock. On Wednesday, Intel’s stock surged, which was strange, especially because analysts claimed that the results of the most recent quarter left them disappointed.
Is Cramer reading Intel CEO’s mind?
Cramer believes he knows Brian Krzanich pretty well. According to him, the Intel CEO is not about frustrating shareholder value, but rather, he is about creating it and reinventing Intel like they did in the 1980s when they stopped making commodity chips. Thereafter, they invented the chips currently running on PCs. Cramer believes Krzanich is about to repeat history but that this time it will not be PCs. Rather, he believes the company will move into all the fast-growing tech people like so much these days.
“I say if you own Intel, keep it. If you don’t, consider it. Bryan is going to bring out the value and you don’t want to miss it,” the expert said.
Intel reduced its guidance this week, citing the decline in PCs as one of the reasons. The chip maker also announced that soon it will be laying off 12,000 employees. Cramer feels the decision to shrink the workforce has been made to find money to expand the faster moving elements of its business.
