Medical spinoffs down but not out

Article Excerpt

These three medical products makers (including Kenvue, see box) have struggled as independent firms. While all three have solid prospects, embecta is the only one we see as a buy right now. EMBECTA CORP. $16 is a spinoff buy. The company (Nasdaq symbol EMBC; Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 57.3 million; Market cap: $916.8 million; Dividend yield: 3.8%; Takeover Target Rating: Medium; www.embecta.com) took its current form in April 2022 when Becton Dickinson & Co. (New York symbol BDX) spun off its Diabetes Care business as a separate, publicly traded firm. Investors received one share of embecta for every five common shares of Becton they held. In its fiscal 2024 third quarter, ended June 30, 2024, embecta’s revenue fell 4.8%, to $272.5 million from $286.1 million a year earlier. That’s mainly due to lower volumes and unfavourable exchange rates. However, lower operating costs and research spending lifted earnings before unusual items by 7.2%, to $0.74 a share (or a total of $43.0 million) from $0.69…