Indigo dumps its Kobo e-book business

Article Excerpt

INDIGO BOOKS & MUSIC INC. $9.12 (Toronto symbol IDG; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 25.2 million; Market cap: $229.8 million; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.2; Dividend yield: 4.8%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.chapters.indigo.ca) has agreed to sell Kobo Inc., which sells electronic books and reader devices. Indigo owns 51.4% of Kobo. Japanese e-commerce company Ratuken Inc. will pay $315 million U.S. for 100% of Kobo. Indigo will receive $140 million U.S. to $150 million U.S. when the sale closes in early 2012. That’s equal to two-thirds of its market cap. Sales of e-books are growing strongly. Indigo will keep selling Kobo products through its bookstores and web site, however, the Kobo reader is no match for Amazon’s Kindle. Indigo is still a hold. hold…