Activists see extra value in these stocks

Article Excerpt

Shareholders tend to respond favourably to news that an activist investor is now targeting a stock they own. And we think they should. That’s because those activists generally do a good job of spotting opportunities to push a company to unlock hidden value for all its investors. While not all activists are successful, they’re still worth your attention. On this page, we analyze three well-established companies that should benefit from the activist pressure now on their management. You should consider two of them buys for right now. EBAY INC. $36 is still a buy for investors. The online auction company (Nasdaq symbol EBAY; Finance sector; Shares outstanding: 813.5 million; Market cap: $29.3 billion; Dividend yield: 1.6%; Takeover Target Rating: Medium; www.ebay.com) considered spinning off its StubHub business but has instead decided to sell it to European ticket seller Viagogo Entertainment Inc. for $4.05 billion. StubHub, which lets users buy and sell tickets to live entertainment events such as sports and concerts, contributes about 10% of eBay’s revenue. The company…