Time To Buy This Spin-off

Article Excerpt

To make the most of their asset value, companies may set up a subsidiary as an independent company, then hand out stock in the subsidiary to their own shareholders as a special dividend or spin-off. As a general rule, both the spin-off and its parent do better than comparable stocks for years afterwards. It often takes months or years for the above-average performance to get underway, but not always. One exception is Chipotle Mexican Grill, another is Idearc. Altria began its spin-off of Kraft Foods with a public offering in 2001. The stock stagnated for much of the time since then. But Kraft has strong brands, a steady dividend and a restructuring plan that could invigorate its earnings. A few earnings gains could spur heavy buying by institutional investors. KRAFT FOODS INC. $36 (New York symbol KFT; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 1.6 billion; Market cap: $57.6 billion; WSSF Rating: Above average) is the world’s second-largest food company, after Nestle…