Trust Values Its 41.5% Stake in Chrysler at $3.6 Billion

The union retiree healthcare trust that owns 41.5% of Chrysler Group LLC estimates that its stake surged in value by one-third to $3.6 billion (€2.7 billion) from 2011 to 2012, Reuters reports.

The valuation appears in a filing by the trust earlier this year with the U.S. Dept. of Labor. The trust also says its net assets in 2012 grew 18% to $10.3 billion.

That growth compares with rates of 5.8% and 5.4% reported to the Labor Dept. last year for healthcare trusts at General Motors and Ford, respectively, according to Reuters.

Fiat SpA, which owns 58.5% of Chrysler, is keen to acquire the trust's stake so it can fully merge the two companies. Doing so would give Fiat access to Chrysler's cash $11.9 billion (€9 billion) at the end of June to help offset slumping sales and big losses in Europe.

Fiat estimates a considerably lower value of the trust's stake. A trial to resolve the share price isn't scheduled to begin until next September. In the meantime, the trust forced the company to file for an initial public offering that could be launched as soon as year-end, thus establishing a market price for the holding.

Many analysts predict the two sides will agree on a share price in time to avoid the IPO.