Four ways spinoffs reward you

Article Excerpt

Spinoffs offer flexibility. Spinning off unwanted assets lets the parent company’s managers focus on that part of the business they want to retain. Usually they hold on to operations best suited to their talents. Spun-off shares often slump when they begin trading. Many investors routinely dump stock they receive in a spinoff. They may only get a handful of shares—perhaps one for each 10 shares they own. They may have little familiarity with the shares, and coverage by brokerage analysts and the press can often be minimal at first. But after this initial slump, these spun-off bargain stocks generally go on to offer faithful investors outsized returns compared to the market as a whole. Spinoffs are born with the proverbial “silver spoon.” Parent companies may devote great effort to ensuring they have adequate finances and strong management. They want the spinoff to succeed, perhaps for their own prestige, but also because they want these spun-off bargain stocks to benefit their shareholders. Spinoffs attract buyers. Spinoffs often have…